To Defeat a Demon
by MagicSwede1965
Summary: A unique and very strange fantasy brings changes into Leslie's life. Follows 'The Great Fall of Adam O'Cearlach'.
1. Chapter 1

§ § § -- June 8, 1985

Saturday had rolled around again. Twenty-year-old Leslie Hamilton was up earlier than usual, making her way through the house to the kitchen, where Mariki was already preparing breakfast. It was not quite seven-thirty; breakfast was always served at eight, and the guests were due in at eight-thirty.

Mariki looked up in surprise at sight of Leslie. "Well, Miss Leslie, and what brings you down here so early in the morning?"

"Our pet rebel was on the rampage yesterday," Leslie replied, reaching around Mariki and plucking a slice of kiwifruit off a plate that sat on the counter. "I'd rather not meet her at breakfast if I can help it. I'll never get used to her crazy moods."

Mariki sighed. "She's lasted longer than any of the others so far," she pointed out.

"Unfortunately," Leslie agreed and popped the fruit into her mouth. "Is it all right if I take a plate of fruit with me? And maybe a slice or two of cinnamon toast, if it's not too much trouble."

"All right, just this once," Mariki replied, with the air of a cantankerous grandmother indulging a soft spot for a favorite grandchild. "But you be sure to bring that plate right back here when you've finished. I'll not have Mr. Roarke finding ants in this house."

Leslie smiled. "Neither would I. Thanks, Mariki." She filled a plate with fruit while Mariki prepared the toast she had requested; and a few minutes later Mariki watched her leave, wondering what it was going to take to bring peace back to the household. Since firing Adam O'Cearlach over a year before and Lawrence's departure less than a week later, Roarke had already been through four assistants. Assistant number five, the current one, came from Hawaii and was named Kekipi. Leslie often referred to her as "the rebel"; the name had that meaning in Hawaiian, and it fit its bearer. Kekipi had arrived on Fantasy Island in early February and so far had done just well enough to pass muster with Roarke. Unfortunately, Kekipi and Leslie did not get along at all, and Kekipi had picked a couple of fights with Leslie before Roarke had decreed there be peace between them. It was an uneasy truce at best.

Leslie was almost finished eating when Roarke paused by her doorway and studied her for a moment. "Does Mariki know you're eating that in your room?" he asked.

She nodded. "I went down and asked her if I could."

"Why so early?" Roarke asked. "Were you that hungry?"

Leslie glanced at him reluctantly and shrugged. "I just thought it might be better, considering Kekipi's mood yesterday. She was really on a tear, and I didn't want to be around her any more than I absolutely had to."

Roarke sighed softly. "What is it about you and Kekipi that prevents the two of you from getting along?" he asked rhetorically. Already he had turned toward the stairs, and so missed the gargoyle face Leslie made. She knew Kekipi had an enormous crush on Roarke, and Kekipi was jealous of Leslie, in spite of the fact that Roarke and Leslie were father and daughter. But so far, Roarke appeared to be unaware of this, and Leslie had no intention of enlightening him. The fact in itself wouldn't be cause for Kekipi's dismissal, as much as Leslie would have liked it to be. Kekipi wasn't as good an assistant as Lawrence had been, and she was nowhere close to being in Tattoo's league, in Leslie's opinion; but she had yet to make a really major mistake. _Maybe this weekend_, Leslie thought, as she so often did. Enough time had passed that this hope, so optimistically entertained in Kekipi's early weeks of employment, had degenerated to merely a little habit she couldn't seem to break. It crossed her mind every Saturday morning and whenever it did, it made her roll her eyes in a _yeah, right_ reaction.

At eight-twenty she left her room, returned her plate to the kitchen and met Roarke and Kekipi on the porch. Kekipi had just pushed the button to ring the bell and was standing beside the post on which it had originally been mounted for Lawrence. Ever since Tattoo had left, not one of his parade of successors had actually climbed into the tower to ring the bell, and Leslie suspected only the birds ever went up there anymore.

Roarke greeted Kekipi, who replied with a stiff "Good morning, Mr. Roarke" and ignored Leslie entirely. Roarke had gone back to using the red station wagons with the candy-striped canopies after Lawrence had left, and this always meant that Leslie and Kekipi had to share the middle seat while Roarke sat up front with the driver. Fortunately, they managed to hold the peace on the way to the plane dock, and took their usual places while the natives lined the landing ramp and the band prepared to play its welcoming song.

But both young women were shocked out of their mutual antipathy when their first guests disembarked from the charter plane. A man and woman who appeared to be in their mid-to-late fifties walked one on either side of a younger man wrapped in a straitjacket, guiding him along. It was Kekipi who recovered first. "Mr. Roarke, are you opening an insane asylum here?" she demanded.

"No, that is not the reason that young man is wearing the straitjacket," Roarke informed her. "His name is Teppo Komainen, and the couple with him are his parents, Jaakko and Tellervo. They come from Tampere, Finland, and their fantasy is unique in my experience."

"And it would be…?" Leslie prompted, her eyes fixed on the straitjacketed Finnish boy.

"It appears that young Teppo has been…possessed by some ancient Finnish god," Roarke said slowly, watching the Komainens as they paused next to a talkative parrot. Neither of the parents seemed to be aware of the bird's raucous squawking; all their attention was on their son. "This has been going on for some time, as I understand it, and has gradually worsened until the young man has grown so violent under the influence of this god that it has been necessary for his parents to restrain him as you see now."

Leslie stared at Roarke in horror. "I hope you can do something for him," she said. "What an awful way to live. Do you think he's aware of being possessed?"

"We'll find out in a little while," Roarke promised her. He turned then to introduce the next guest, but the weekend's other fantasy was completely lost on Leslie. There was something almost morbidly fascinating about the Komainen family's fantasy, and she was determined to be a part of it, no matter what Roarke might have to say.

«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»

At ten that morning, the Komainens came to the main house, with Teppo still straitjacketed. Roarke welcomed them inside, motioned the parents to sit in the two club chairs in front of his desk, and sent Kekipi on an errand that was calculated to take at least two hours. Leslie took up her usual post at the corner of Roarke's desk, to his right; Teppo, quiet for the moment, stood between his parents' chairs. Roarke sat down and leaned forward in his own chair, regarding his guests with lively interest.

"In your original letter, you requested only that I try to free Teppo of his affliction; you provided very little detail," he began kindly. "But in order to have any kind of direction in which to proceed, I must know exactly what has happened to your son. Every detail is important, so I must ask you to try to recall as much as you can, from the time Teppo was first affected."

Jaakko Komainen glanced nervously at his wife, then at Teppo, and finally sighed gently. "I am a simple man," he said, speaking with a heavy Finnish accent. "I speak English not so well, so I let my wife tell you. And perhaps my son if he has his mind."

"'Has his mind'?" echoed Leslie.

"Sometimes," Tellervo Komainen said, "Teppo is himself. He speaks and acts normally, and we can communicate with him during those times. I don't know how the flight here affected him; he's hardly spoken since we left the airport in Helsinki yesterday morning." Her English was excellent, and she spoke with a noticeable British inflection behind her own native accent. "But he's been calm, and for now he seems to be under control."

"Why the straitjacket, then?" Roarke queried.

"In the last month or so, he's become so physically violent that we've found ourselves having to restrain him to keep him from inflicting bodily harm on others. He strikes out without any apparent rhyme or reason to his attacks -- he simply whips his arms around, kicks out with his feet, leaps about in the attempt to reach the person he wants to hurt. The only way to prevent this has been that straitjacket." Mrs. Komainen stared painfully at Teppo for a long moment before turning back to Roarke. "It absolutely breaks my heart to have to do this to him. He's my child, and a mother's instinct is to protect her child. Instead, we have to protect ourselves from him."

Roarke nodded slowly, sympathy gleaming out of his dark eyes. "How often is Teppo lucid now?"

"Less and less as time passes," Mrs. Komainen replied. "He seems to spend more and more of his waking hours under the influence of this…thing. We only recently discovered exactly what was wrong with him. We entertained a scholar of the _Kalevala_ -- the Finnish national epic -- and he saw Teppo's condition firsthand. He thought there seemed to be something about it that struck a chord with him, and he did a great deal of research before finally drawing the conclusion that Teppo has been possessed by an evil god called Lempo."

Roarke nodded again. "You mentioned this god in your letter. As I understand it, Lempo is the god of evil and the lord of demons; he is purported to be the source of much misfortune and disease. It appears to me that, through your son, Lempo has been trying to bring about the aforementioned misfortune by causing Teppo to attempt to hurt those around him." He paused, thinking for a moment. "When did all this begin?"

Mrs. Komainen drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. "It started just over a year ago," she said. "Teppo had just celebrated his twenty-first birthday. That very evening, he picked up the gift his sister had given him and threw it at her with all his strength. She had a gash on her head that required ten stitches to close. When we turned on him, he claimed not to remember what he had done. It was only the first in a long string of such incidents, and the next one didn't occur for a few days. The episodes gradually increased as time passed, and Teppo spent more and more time raging and lashing out at everyone around him. Now he's under the possession of this god more often than not. We're desperate by now. Just before we got your letter telling us you had accepted our fantasy request, Teppo actually made an attempt to kill his youngest brother. We were debating what to do when your letter arrived." She leaned earnestly forward in the chair. "You're our last hope, Mr. Roarke. If you can do nothing for our son, then no one on earth can."

Roarke settled back in his chair and contemplated the situation at some length. Meanwhile, Leslie gazed at Teppo, trying to imagine what kind of person he must be. He was a rather good-looking young man, with a shiny mop of pin-straight dark-blond hair that fell almost into his gray eyes. He was a little taller than she and a touch too lean; his attractive face was sculpted with clean, sharp lines, and he had a narrow, straight nose and full lips. There was just the slightest cleft in his chin. At the moment he stood slightly slouched, held prisoner by the straitjacket, arms bound tightly to his sides. He was expressionless, his eyes gazing at nothing, as though he were elsewhere mentally. She studied him minutely and found herself hoping that Roarke would allow her to lend whatever help she could, however little it might be.


	2. Chapter 2

§ § § -- June 8, 1985

Presently Roarke arose from his chair and came around the desk, slowly approaching Teppo. The youth seemed to be unaware of his surroundings and offered no resistance when Roarke lifted his chin to stare into his eyes for a few beats. When Roarke released Teppo, he remained standing with his head tilted back the way Roarke had left it, his eyes gazing somewhere out the French doors behind the desk.

"At the moment, Teppo's consciousness seems to be deeply submerged," Roarke said quietly, "yet I can detect no trace of the god at this time, either. I may be able to persuade Teppo to come to himself, so that we can find out what he remembers, what he is aware of."

The Komainens looked at each other with sudden hope in their eyes, and Leslie leaned forward with intense interest, balancing herself on her hands flattened atop Roarke's desk. "Please," said Mr. Komainen hoarsely. "Yes, please do that."

Roarke nodded once in acknowledgement, then turned back to Teppo and placed his hands flat on either side of Teppo's head. Roarke's eyes drifted closed, and for a very long two minutes the pair stood deadly still. Even from where Leslie stood in the anticipatory silence, she could see life creeping back into Teppo's features, his gray eyes filling with an animated light that seemed to turn them silver. It was Teppo who ultimately broke Roarke's concentration by snapping up straight all at once, his face a mask of surprise and confusion as he took in his surroundings. Roarke took a step back.

"Where am I?" Teppo asked. His voice was pleasant and spiced with a gentle Finnish accent, and his English turned out to be as easy as his mother's. He looked around him, casting his mother and father each a quick glance, then focusing on Roarke. "What's happened?"

Roarke smiled. "You are on Fantasy Island, where your parents brought you this morning. I am Mr. Roarke, and I will do my best to help rid you of the demon that has been plaguing you."

Teppo stared in amazement. "So it actually happened. The last time I remember anything, I recall Mother and Father telling my brothers and sisters that they had sent to Fantasy Island to see if there was any chance I could be helped there." He hesitated for a moment, then saw Leslie and smiled for the first time. "Oh, hello."

Leslie blushed but smiled back. "Hello, Teppo."

"This is my daughter, Leslie Hamilton," Roarke introduced her then. "She acts as something of a secondary assistant to me, and she is willing to lend any help she can towards realizing your fantasy."

Teppo nodded, his gaze still on Leslie. "Maybe you can show me around the island…" He paused, then looked at Roarke with a tinge of worry. "That is, if I can keep Lempo from snuffing me out again." He looked ruefully down at the straitjacket he wore. "This thing isn't exactly a nice comfy cardigan, but I understand why Mother and Father felt the need to keep me in it. I'm told that I've tried very hard to injure some of my family."

"Have you any memory of any of the incidents that have occurred under Lempo's influence?" Roarke asked.

Teppo shook his head. "When Lempo takes over, I don't really know anything. I mean, it's not that I'm asleep or unconscious. I know there's something happening. It's more as if Lempo shuts me away into a dark room with a locked door, and keeps me there as long as he pleases. So I'm conscious, in the sense that I know long periods without contact with the outside world, but I have no awareness of whatever Lempo does when he's, well, _in charge_, shall we say."

Roarke nodded contemplatively. "I see. And how often do you know what is happening around you?"

Teppo frowned. "Less and less, I think. Every time I'm aware, I find that more time has passed than the last time I was aware. Most of the past three months have been a loss. I've had to postpone my last two years of university because of this insanity. I came to myself once last winter and found that someone had put me in an insane asylum."

His tone was not accusatory, but his mother turned red all the same. "We didn't know what was really wrong with you then," she said apologetically. "And of course, no one in authority took us seriously when we discovered the true answer. The scholar we consulted spoke directly to Lempo, in our presence, and Lempo told us who and what he was."

"We brought him home again after only a week in that place," Mr. Komainen added.

"You're not to blame," Teppo told his parents firmly. "It's this demon." He turned to Roarke. "Mr. Roarke, I should warn you that I have no way of knowing when Lempo will decide to take control again. Sometimes I'm aware for just a few minutes; sometimes I'm lucid for several hours. For all I know, I might be taken over by Lempo even as I'm standing here in this room."

"Perhaps that would be as well," Mrs. Komainen remarked. "Then, Mr. Roarke, you would understand exactly what happens to Teppo when the demon is controlling him."

Roarke smiled vaguely, his eyes sliding out of focus for just a moment. "Lempo and I will meet in good time, Mrs. Komainen," he said, an ominous tinge in his tone, before snapping back to the here-and-now. "Since you expressed an interest in seeing the island, Teppo, I'm sure Leslie will be more than happy to oblige you." He turned to her and continued, "You may have use of one of the cars, and you may stay out until dinnertime -- at which hour I ask that you and Teppo be here for dinner. His parents will be here also."

Leslie nodded willing acquiescence, and was extracting a set of keys from an ornate gold box that sat front and center on Roarke's desk when Mrs. Komainen cried, "But suppose Lempo returns while Teppo and Leslie are sightseeing? Mr. Roarke, Lempo could do incredible harm to your daughter through Teppo!"

Roarke glanced at Leslie, whose face had taken on an expression of mild concern, and then at Teppo, who seemed startled by his mother's words. "I don't think so, Mrs. Komainen," he said simply. "Now that you have brought your son here, I suspect that Lempo will choose the time and place for battle very carefully."

Mrs. Komainen stood up and glared at him. "Mr. Roarke, you just don't understand," she snapped. "It happens without warning, any time, anywhere, under any circumstance. That demon could find it an utterly irresistible temptation to cause great harm to your daughter, and great sorrow to you, by waiting for a moment when they're far away from any help and then attacking."

"Perhaps we should leave it to our respective children," Roarke suggested gently. "When they return -- and they _will_, Mrs. Komainen -- then we shall find out exactly what, if anything, has occurred."

"Just the same," Teppo's mother said firmly, "make sure that you two don't go anywhere too far from populated areas, so that there will be help for Leslie in case Lempo takes control again, Teppo. I absolutely will not take the chance of any harm coming to that young woman; she's the daughter of our host, and a fine repayment that would be if she was hurt because of us."

Teppo nodded solemnly. "We'll be careful, Mother, don't worry," he said. "Mr. Roarke's already helped me by bringing me back to awareness, and I intend to enjoy it for however long it lasts." He grinned at Leslie. "And if Mr. Roarke's daughter here is brave enough to take her chances with an unpredictable demon, then I just admire her all the more for it."

His parents smiled reluctantly, and Roarke chuckled, noting Leslie's latest blush. "Very well then, enjoy yourselves; and we'll see you at dinner this evening."

"The usual time, Mr. Roarke?" Leslie asked, and he nodded. With that, she turned to Teppo. "Okay, then, I guess there's just one thing left to do…remove the straitjacket, and we can take the grand tour."

This stunned his parents, who had evidently thought Teppo would simply continue to wear the thing. "But if…" Mrs. Komainen began again.

Finally Teppo lost some of his patience. "Mother, for heaven's sake, would _you_ want to go sightseeing in one of these things? Mr. Roarke has all the confidence in the world that both Leslie and I will be fine. It'd be nice if you took a hint from him. After all, if you refuse to trust Mr. Roarke's judgment, then what was the point in coming here in the first place?"

"Sound thinking indeed," Roarke said approvingly. "Please, Mr. and Mrs. Komainen, if you would?" He gestured towards Teppo.

The elder Komainens finally gave in and, working together, untied and removed the confining device. Once he was free, Teppo backed away a bit to give himself some more space, stretched his arms out as if he meant to take off, lifted them over his head, then windmilled them with particular vigor, causing everyone to burst out laughing. Teppo joined in. "Free at last!" he sang out dramatically, escalating the mirth. "Well, now that I've had a good stretch, how about that tour, Leslie?" She grinned and nodded; and with that, Teppo and Leslie left the main house.

"As for you," Roarke said smilingly, "I believe you should follow your son's example and take some time to relax. Coming all the way from Finland as you have done, you're undoubtedly very tired from the journey, and it will do you both good to relax. Even if you merely retire to your bungalow and read a good book, you'll feel refreshed once dinnertime arrives. That will be promptly at five-thirty this evening; so I will see you back here then."

"This is a good idea, yes," Mr. Komainen agreed with a smile. "We did not sleep much since we left Helsinki. Perhaps I will have a nap."

"I might have one myself," his wife said. "All right, Mr. Roarke, thank you for the dinner invitation. We'll see you then." She put her arm in her husband's and they departed the house, leaving Roarke to consider what came next.


	3. Chapter 3

§ § § -- June 8, 1985

"Interesting cars," Teppo said with a laugh as Leslie approached one parked between the fountain and the main house's small front lawn. "I wonder where they came from."

Leslie grinned. "They're fun to drive, actually. Well, hop in. What's your pleasure? We have plenty of lagoons and waterfalls and beaches, and there's loads of jungle in the interior that no one's ever really tried hacking through. We have an allegedly haunted inactive volcano known as Mount Tutumoa; we have all kinds of tropical birds; and there are still the descendants of superstitious Polynesians." She glanced at him, saw that he was listening with amused interest, and switched tracks. "Or, if nature's not your thing, then we've got the local pool complete with cabanas and bar; we have a casino; there are approximately half a dozen empty mansions and castles that are sometimes used in fantasies; there's a marina where you can rent boats and jet skis; we can go horseback riding, rent a bike, or even a moped -- Mr. Roarke's experimenting with that one, and it's been pretty popular with guests from the western U.S. There's an authentic Japanese garden to stroll through, and we even have an amusement park."

"_Hyvä luoja!"_ said Teppo in astonishment. "Is this island so large then?"

"Well, I wouldn't say we're huge, but there's plenty of room for all these things, and I haven't even told you everything we've got yet. What was that you said a minute ago?"

"It means 'good heavens' or 'good grief'. Well, for starters, why don't we go to that Japanese garden you talked about. It sounds like just the thing for me. I need to move around some more, after being trapped in that straitjacket and not knowing half the time where I am or what I'm doing, thanks to my uninvited mental guest."

"Okay then, your wish is my command." Leslie started the car and drove around the duck pond down what the islanders referred to as the Main House Lane, then headed down the Ring Road for about half a mile before pulling into a small turnaround and parking there. To their immediate left was situated the Japanese garden, complete with small, steep bridge over a tiny pond, and a little Japanese teahouse not far away. Several weeping willows ringed the pond, trailing leafy stems in the water, and a pair of swans glided serenely across the surface, drifting under the bridge as Teppo and Leslie watched. Some short distance beyond lay a large expanse of manicured green lawn lined by carefully planted trees, along which people strolled, held picnics, played games or simply lay basking in the sun.

"Beautiful," said Teppo. "Well, let's take a walk, then."

Leslie pocketed the car keys and slid out; Teppo came around the front of the car to join her, and the two ambled side by side towards the garden, in no real hurry. Teppo glanced sidewise at Leslie once or twice, then indulged himself. "Okay, here's the burning question, if you don't mind my asking. Mr. Roarke tells us you're his daughter. If that's so, then why is your last name different from his, and why do you call him 'Mr. Roarke' instead of 'Dad' or something?"

Leslie gave him a quick surprised look, then laughed. "Oh, I don't mind. It's because I'm adopted, actually. I've been here a little more than five years. My parents and younger twin sisters were killed in a house fire when I was not quite fifteen, and a couple of weeks later, I came here to Fantasy Island. It turned out I needed to break a family curse to keep from dying in a fire myself. Mr. Roarke helped me, and then I discovered that my mother had come here when she was pregnant with me, trying to find out whether I was going to survive the curse. When Mr. Roarke showed her what was destined to happen, she made him promise to take me in and give me a home till I came of age, because once my family was gone, I was left without a single living relative. When I graduated from high school two years ago, Mr. Roarke's graduation gift to me was to adopt me, so now I'm legally his daughter." She chuckled softly as they approached the bridge. "Trouble is, I got so used to calling him 'Mr. Roarke' when I was just his ward, I couldn't break the habit; so I just kept doing it. I don't think it makes much difference to him what I call him; I'm just glad he's done what he's done for me. I hope he'll let me stay here forever, even though I come of age next year."

"Ah, I see now," Teppo said, nodding sagely. "That's quite a story you have to tell. How did you break the curse?"

Leslie explained what had happened in the course of her very first weekend on Fantasy Island, and in so doing had to explain who Tattoo was. "He got married a couple of years ago and moved back to Paris. He runs a thriving art gallery now, and he and his wife have a little boy. Tattoo was like the uncle I never had, and that's how we treated each other. I still miss him."

"I'm sure you do," said Teppo with sympathy. "So Mr. Roarke helped you out and then gave you a home. For someone who was orphaned, that's quite a stroke of good luck."

"Very true," Leslie agreed. "So…tell me, what's _your_ story? Why did this Lempo decide to possess you specifically? Family history? Some weird old Finnish deity in your ancient ancestry or something? Or maybe a relative thirty generations back offended one of Lempo's minions?"

Teppo laughed. "I don't know. I doubt there are any deities in our family line, but my mother's name comes from an entity mentioned in the _Kalevala_. As a matter of fact, the epic Tellervo was also known as Mielikki, which happens to be the name of the oldest of my sisters. So far, my mother's and sister's names are the only connections I've been able to uncover that would provide any suggestion as to why Lempo decided to grace me with his presence."

Leslie considered similar fantasies that she had seen Roarke grant, and frowned thoughtfully. "Well, there has to be some reason. Maybe Mr. Roarke can figure it out. You've been talking about brothers and sisters. How many do you have?"

"Six," Teppo said, enjoying the wide-eyed stare she gave him. "I'm the oldest, and Mielikki is two years younger. There are three more girls and two boys after that."

"Your sister Mielikki is my age, then," said Leslie. "I turned 20 last month."

"My birthday was last month as well," Teppo said. "What date?"

"The sixth," she told him.

"Mine is the fifth!" he exclaimed, and they laughed. "I'm 22 now, so I've been dealing with Lempo for the last thirteen months. I'm almost used to it by now, but that doesn't make it any easier." There was a squawk then, and their attention was diverted by a parrot soaring in for a landing on the bridge railing, no more than ten feet away from them. Leslie recognized the bird's markings and grinned.

"I think that's Pepper," she said. "Tattoo expended a lot of effort towards training him, but since he left the island, Pepper's pretty much gone wild." She turned to face the bird. "Good morning, Pepper," she said experimentally.

"Good morning," the parrot replied quite clearly. "Reach for the sky, meatball."

Teppo burst out laughing, and Leslie grinned. "It's Pepper all right. Well, so tell me, is there anything else you'd like to see?"

She watched as he tipped his head back and gazed into the clear blue sky. "Actually, I'd like to do something I haven't done for months. I'd like to just lie on the beach and soak up some sun, and talk with you." At this last he met her gaze and smiled, and something seemed to swirl inside her stomach. Leslie hadn't met too many boys in her years on Fantasy Island, and had always so enjoyed being Roarke's secondary assistant that this had never bothered her much. But for some reason, there was something different about this one. She smiled back.

"If you brought a swimsuit, maybe we could go wading," she offered. "We get some incredibly beautiful seashells on the beaches here. Just don't forget the sunscreen."

Teppo's eyes lit. "You talked me into it," he said. "Do you know which bungalow we're in?"

"The best one," she told him, leading him back to the car. "We call it the Hilltop Bungalow, because it sits right on top of the highest point on this end of the island. There's a beautiful view of the ocean from it, and it's set apart a bit from the others, so there's some extra privacy."

She drove him back to the bungalow in question, which was built with dark wood and surrounded on two sides by a wooden deck. "I'll go home and change, and meet you back here in about fifteen minutes," she promised.

When she returned, he was waiting, dressed in white swim trunks and a loud Hawaiian-print shirt whose primary color seemed to be fire-engine red. "Whoa, turn off the shirt," she teased him, shading her eyes with one hand.

"Just for that," Teppo retorted, laughing, "I'm not going to show you any shells I find." Joking and teasing all the way, they drove to one of the more secluded beaches, where they spread out towels on the sand and dropped bags of gear, their flip-flops, and beach cover-ups atop them. Leslie wore a sky-blue one-piece suit with a short skirt, and when she straightened up from extracting a bottle of sunscreen out of her duffel, she caught Teppo staring at her.

"That ugly, am I?" she kidded.

But he slowly shook his head, his face solemn as he studied her. Her movements faded into stillness as she realized he was serious. After a moment he asked, "Has Mr. Roarke been shielding you from every man who looks twice at you? Does he even know what a pretty girl you are? I suppose he's kept you under a rock all this time."

She blushed yet again, wishing her embarrassment didn't show so readily. "It's not Mr. Roarke's fault," she mumbled inanely. "I just…wasn't interested, that's all."

Teppo regarded her curiously, his head tilted a bit to one side. "Oh, I see," he murmured, then shrugged and started for the water at a trot. Leslie stood and watched him, feeling a peculiar sense of loss and wondering if she had said something wrong.

Then she heard someone calling her name and turned sharply, only to see Kekipi striding across the sand in her direction. _Oh, great,_ she thought. _Just what I need_. Aloud she said, "Is there a problem?"

"Where've you been all this time?" Kekipi demanded. "Do you think you have permission to frolic with the guests any time you want? You have a job to do, and I think you should do it, before I report back to Mr. Roarke."

Leslie rolled her eyes. "Were you the neighborhood tattletale as a child, or what? Mr. Roarke knows full well I'm here with a guest. Maybe you should get back to doing _your_ job, instead of looking for a fight."

"I'm going to check back with Mr. Roarke, just so you know," Kekipi informed her haughtily, poking her in the chest just below the hollow in her throat. "You know how much he dislikes liars, and if I catch you in a lie…oh, just you wait and see --"

She never finished the sentence, for at that precise moment a whirling dervish seized Kekipi from behind and yanked her away, heaving her aside with strength the like of which Leslie had never seen before. Kekipi screeched in surprise, regained her footing and glared at Leslie as if Leslie were responsible for unleashing a wild gorilla. Leslie, in her turn, was staring at Teppo, who had transformed into something utterly unlike the gentle, laughing young man she'd been getting acquainted with. His features were twisted into a mask of sheer loathing, his lips curled into a sneer, his eyes gleaming with something feral. She knew then that Lempo must have reestablished control and stepped back in spite of herself.

"How dare you let him assault me!" Kekipi howled and flung herself at Leslie. Teppo's reaction was instantaneous. He whipped around and attacked, a miniature hurricane of rage and strength and flailing limbs, connecting more often than not. Yet all the time, he never made a sound. Leslie felt as if she were watching some weird old silent film.

Several beachgoers from some distance away, seeing the fracas, raced up to help free Kekipi from what looked like a madman on the loose; and the demon turned on them as well, landing one blow after another at lightning speed, evading reaching hands, kicking and slapping and shoving. It took several moments, but at last the others freed Kekipi and themselves from the crazed figure and retreated faster than they'd come. The dervish paused, turned to Leslie…and collapsed, still and silent.


	4. Chapter 4

§ § § -- June 8, 1985

There was quite a crowd standing in the main room of the Komainens' bungalow: five vacationers who had been strolling along the beach, Kekipi, Roarke, Jaakko and Tellervo Komainen, and Leslie. Teppo lay unconscious on the sofa. At the moment, Kekipi had the floor and was taking advantage of it by trying to lay the blame on Leslie for everything that had happened in those few minutes on the beach. "She simply stood there and let that madman try to beat me to death, Mr. Roarke. How can you justify such a thing?"

"She 'simply stood there'?" Roarke echoed skeptically. "Tell me, Kekipi, if six of you together failed to stop the young man, then how do you expect Leslie to be able to control him all by herself?"

"She must have _some_ control over him," Kekipi argued insistently. "He never touched her."

This stilled everyone, and as one the entire group turned to stare at Leslie, who blinked and began to turn red. "Did he harm you at all, Leslie?" Roarke asked.

Her blush deepened and she shook her head, almost as if she wished he had. "N-no," she admitted.

"It's true, Mr. Roarke," one of the vacationers spoke up. "When we backed out of that devil's reach, he turned toward her, but then he just fell over, and he's been like that ever since."

"Does she have some kind of protection?" asked another person.

Someone else ventured, "Maybe they're in cahoots…you know, working together."

"You're a fool if you believe that," Tellervo Komainen retorted angrily. "That girl's trying to help my son." She appealed to Roarke. "Mr. Roarke, please, if you don't mind…"

Roarke nodded with understanding. "Thank you all," he said to the other guests. "Your assistance is very much appreciated. That will be all. And as for you, Kekipi, I believe you still have several tasks to attend to. I suggest you do so, and then return to the main house when you've finished. I need to discuss something with you."

"Very well, Mr. Roarke," Kekipi agreed and departed with the others, leaving Roarke, Leslie and the Komainens standing around the sofa where Teppo lay. Only then did Mrs. Komainen give way to threatening tears as she stared down at her son.

"I dreaded something like this happening in public," she said shakily. "Mr. Roarke, Jaakko and I would give anything – _anything_ – to see Teppo freed from that evil god. We should have never let him out of that straitjacket. It was too much of a risk."

Roarke studied her for a long moment. "Mrs. Komainen, I must ask you to refrain from using the straitjacket." He saw her head snap up and anticipated her protest. "I realize you believe there is a danger, but it simply isn't feasible to keep him in it day and night. It could be construed as a cruelty to Teppo, and in the end it's merely a stopgap solution."

"And what will happen the next time Lempo takes hold of him and another attack occurs?" she demanded. "I can't abide the thought of him harming someone else. This time it was your assistant; next time it could be other guests. No, Mr. Roarke, I'm his mother, and I feel it's safer for everyone if he is put back in the straitjacket."

"Oh, Mrs. Komainen, please don't," Leslie begged softly, her voice thickening with emotion. "Please. I think if it weren't for Kekipi's interference, nothing would ever have happened at all. Teppo was perfectly normal the whole time we were together, till Kekipi showed up."

Teppo's mother stared at her, suddenly uncertain. "I don't understand anything about this."

Roarke smiled a little. "I confess that I don't understand either, Mrs. Komainen, but it's clear that Leslie is willing to take her chances. It seems that she is the only person who is safe from Teppo's transformation into Lempo." He paused for a moment, as if thinking, then drew himself up straight and laid a hand on Leslie's shoulder. "For the moment, let him rest. When he awakens naturally, bring him to the main house for dinner as previously arranged."

"And if Lempo is still in control?" Mrs. Komainen persisted.

"Call the main house," Leslie interjected quickly, "and I'll come over." The adults exchanged glances at this, but they all agreed.

§ § § § § § § § § § § § § §

No call came – only the Komainens themselves, bringing with them a subdued Teppo. He wasn't wearing the straitjacket, but he appeared to be in the same catatonic condition in which he had initially arrived on the island. Roarke and Leslie were waiting on the front steps to meet them, and Roarke motioned their guests ahead of them to the table, which was set for five. Mariki stood nearby with a large covered tray.

"Where's your assistant?" Mrs. Komainen asked.

Roarke cleared his throat. "She…was called away suddenly. Please, do sit down." Leslie, who had not been there when Roarke had his talk with Kekipi, shot her adoptive father a curious glance, but didn't bother to ask. There was time for that later. Everyone took seats; Leslie saw that Teppo's father had to place the unresponsive young man into a chair before taking his own seat, and felt an abrupt queasiness. She knew Roarke saw her face turn several shades paler, but he didn't mention it. Mariki set the covered tray on the table, turned to a serving cart and began to place dishes on the table with quiet efficiency. Roarke thanked her when she finished, and she nodded at him and left in silence.

No one touched the food for the moment, however. Roarke studied Teppo, who was seated between his parents, his eyes fixed and unfocused and his face devoid of expression, and glanced back and forth between the elder Komainens. "Did he awaken in that state?" Roarke asked.

"Yes," Mr. Komainen replied, casting his son a sorrow-filled look. "Nothing we do brings him out of it. Perhaps Lempo is not there, but we see that Teppo is not there as well."

"Oh, Teppo is there, but…" Roarke paused for a moment, thinking back. "You will recall that this morning, he said that when Lempo takes control, it's as if Teppo is trapped in a locked room. I believe that's the state he is in now."

"But I don't see why," Mrs. Komainen said, frowning in bewilderment. "This never happened before. When Lempo retreated, Teppo was always aware immediately afterward. Now he's merely like a large doll. We have to make his every move for him, and he responds to nothing."

For a moment Roarke was silent, regarding Teppo without really seeing him. The others watched as his dark eyes narrowed. "Lempo is cognizant of the fact that you have brought Teppo to Fantasy Island," he murmured finally, almost too low for them to hear. "He may not always choose to remain in control, but he has the power to keep Teppo's consciousness from returning whenever he himself relinquishes command of your son's body. I suspect this is Lempo's way of trying to show me that he has the upper hand."

"_Does_ he have the upper hand, then?" Mrs. Komainen asked.

Roarke snapped back to reality with a gentle start and smiled at her. "Why don't we simply put the problem aside and enjoy our meal?" he offered. "As for Teppo…" He got up, came around to Teppo's chair and placed a hand on either side of the younger man's head as he had done before, concentrating carefully. Teppo came back to life just the way he had the first time this had happened, and sat blinking and looking around him. Roarke returned to his own chair, sparing a glance at Leslie, whose wide-eyed gaze was cemented on Teppo.

"Teppo?" Mr. Komainen caught his son's attention and asked a question in Finnish; Teppo replied in the same tongue. To Leslie's ears, the language flowed with copious vowel sounds, as of smoothly running water. She listened with interest and more than a little hope in her eyes.

Mrs. Komainen took her turn, speaking quickly in Finnish to Teppo, who chuckled, nodding, and gave her a reassuring reply. Then Teppo took in their hosts and smiled. "I'm glad you brought me back to myself, Mr. Roarke," he remarked, "because I'm incredibly hungry and all this food smells wonderful."

Everyone laughed and began to serve themselves from assorted dishes. Only Leslie seemed subdued, casting furtive glances in Teppo's direction but never lingering, as if afraid he would catch her doing it. Roarke watched the young people for a few minutes; it turned out that Teppo, too, was sneaking quick looks at Leslie. As he watched, their gazes inevitably collided, and they both blushed and paid inordinate attention to their plates after that. Roarke smiled and continued his conversation with Teppo's parents.

They were nearly finished, with only the older adults having spoken throughout the bulk of the meal, when Mariki appeared from the kitchen with another serving cart. "Would anyone care for dessert?" she inquired.

Teppo's parents and Roarke declined, but Teppo said with a sheepish grin, "Actually, I'm still kind of hungry, and that sounds terrific. It looks as if you have quite a few choices on that cart."

"Six different ones," Mariki replied, beaming at him. "And you, Miss Leslie?"

She couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend a little extra time with Teppo. "I'll have a slice of cheesecake if you have any," she said, a little shyly.

"I do indeed," Mariki told her. "Pineapple cheesecake, made fresh this afternoon."

Teppo's eyes widened with interest. "Sounds good! Make it two."

Roarke chuckled. "In that case, Mr. and Mrs. Komainen, why don't we repair to my office and let the young people enjoy their dessert." He rose from his chair. "Thank you, Mariki. I believe you outdid yourself this time."

"Yes, it was an excellent meal," Mrs. Komainen offered warmly. Her husband nodded agreement, and Mariki beamed again.

Once the others had left and Mariki had placed plates of cheesecake in front of Teppo and Leslie and taken her own leave, there was a self-conscious silence on the porch while each one stared at the dessert without moving. Then Leslie, unable to stand it any longer, looked up and asked hesitantly, "Are you all right?"

"Sure, I'm fine." Teppo openly stared back at her, his mouth open as if to say something else, and she waited; finally he demanded, "What did I do back on that beach?" She blanched and he saw it. "Tell me the truth, Leslie, and don't leave anything out."

She swallowed thickly, then sighed and told him what had transpired. Teppo listened intently. When she finished, he leaned forward and said, "Did I hurt you at all?"

"No, you never once laid a finger on me," she said. "I was the only one you didn't try to harm." She swallowed again, trying to flatten the lump that wanted to rise in her throat.

Teppo sagged back in profound relief. "Thank God," he said. "If I had…" All at once he erupted out of his chair and bounded around the table to Leslie's, pulling her out of it. "All the way through dinner I kept looking for any sign of an injury on you. I couldn't find any, but I had no way of knowing for sure. I'm so glad I didn't do anything to you." He lifted one of her arms, checking it, then the other; and she started to laugh.

"I told you, you never touched me," she reminded him. "No bruises, no black eyes, not even so much as a paper cut. Honest."

He stopped and studied her then, his face settling into a more serious mien, although he still wore a faint smile. "You seem to be the one person Lempo won't touch," he observed quietly, cupping her chin and cheek in one hand. "I don't know why, but…" Just for a moment he seemed to be searching her face; then he stepped in closer to her, tipped her head up and softly kissed her.

Every inch of Leslie's skin tingled so much at his touch and his kiss that she felt full of electricity; her heart promptly doubled its speed, and her head began to spin. She closed her eyes to steady herself and found herself holding onto his arms for dear life, her entire world reduced to the feel of his lips on hers. Teppo lingered there for a long moment, then drew back and stared at her. She stared back, dazed and full of wonder. It had been her very first kiss.

A smile started to bloom on Teppo's face. "You look a little stunned," he teased gently.

She was, but there was only one thought running through her mind. "Do it again, please?"

"That's an easy request to answer," he said, and this time drew her into his arms and kissed her fully. She responded in kind; her mind might be empty of all thought, but her heart was full to overflowing.


	5. Chapter 5

§ § § -- June 8, 1985

It was close to midnight, and Leslie had been in her room for some time, considering the new direction her life seemed to be going in. She was very much drawn towards Teppo Komainen, had been from just about the very first moment she'd seen him. Had it been only that morning at the plane dock? It seemed as if a week had passed; so much had happened.

She had asked him, "Why did you turn away from me like that at the beach, just before Kekipi showed up and Lempo took over?" It had been after that second heady kiss; they'd stood easily in each other's arms, watching the evening sky deepening into twilight, and their conversation had been quiet and unhurried, as if they were basking in their newly discovered feelings.

Teppo had loosed a sheepish chuckle. "Well, you said something about how you were never interested, after I wondered if Mr. Roarke had been keeping you under wraps all this time. For some reason I thought perhaps you weren't interested this time either. Stupid of me, after the way you responded to my kiss just now."

She had giggled softly. "I'll say," she'd teased him. "I meant only that I'd never been interested before. Not till you came here." He had hugged her then, and she'd stood there feeling strangely safe and protected in a way that even Roarke had never been able to do.

As if the thought had summoned him, Roarke appeared in her doorway and regarded her with some surprise. "I thought you'd be asleep by now," he said.

Leslie shook her head. "Too much to think about," she said cheerfully. "I guess you're about to call it a night, then?"

Roarke paused before replying, surveying her thoughtfully, then took a step or two into the room. "May I?" he asked, indicating a spot beside her on the bed, and she nodded. He sat down, turned partway to face her, and said, "I was unable to talk to you earlier, of course."

Leslie nodded again. "You were with Teppo's parents, and then I guess Kekipi finally deigned to show up for that talk you wanted to have with her."

"Yes," Roarke said, clearing his throat. "About that…" She tilted her head quizzically to one side, and he finally admitted, "I have asked Kekipi to leave the island."

Leslie struggled to hide her elation at this, but wasn't altogether successful; and she knew perfectly well that Roarke was aware of her reaction. "What for?"

Roarke hesitated before replying. "I sensed that there was some discord between you and her," he began, "but I felt it was something the two of you must learn to overcome. However, I came to realize that there was more to it than that."

Leslie couldn't prevent the wry smile from spreading across her face. "You might as well come out and say it directly, Mr. Roarke. Kekipi had a huge crush on you. She always has, and that's the reason she never got along with me. She was jealous of me – which was stupid, of course, because you and I are father and daughter for one thing…and for another, she'd never have had a chance anyway. Next time you hire an assistant, Mr. Roarke, it'll have to be either another man, or a married woman."

Roarke gave her an exasperated look. "Do you realize exactly how difficult it is to find a qualified assistant, young lady? That's five now, since Lawrence departed last year. It's fortunate that Julie's bed-and-breakfast inn has prospered to the point where she can afford to hire people to operate it for her on the weekends, because I will have to call her back into service yet again. And there is no doubt in my mind that she was hoping for a summer off from working for me. Why is it that I seem to have so much trouble finding a competent assistant?"

"Beats me, Mr. Roarke," Leslie said with a shrug. "It's occurred to me that you might think of hiring Julie on permanently. Like you said, her B&B is really thriving; she could simply turn over the actual running of the place to other people and supervise them as needed, while working for you. Or else…what about Cindy? Remember her? She used to help out sometimes when we were experimenting with granting kids' fantasies for a while."

"Yes, I do remember her," Roarke said, "but unfortunately, you appear to have missed hearing about Cindy's recent marriage and new teaching position at the high school." Leslie mumbled a sheepish "oh" in response and shrugged again.

"Well, I tried. If you can't hire Cindy and you won't hire Julie, I don't know what else to suggest, except maybe put some more newspaper ads out there." Leslie yawned and then sat up straight. "Wait a minute. It just occurred to me. Mr. Roarke, you know it's not ethical to fire someone just because she has a crush on you."

Roarke chuckled. "Surely you know better, Leslie Susan. Quite a large part of it was due to her insistence on not getting along with you, but I've recently discovered that she has a way of procrastinating with the errands I assigned to her. On a number of occasions, she failed to do them at all." He sighed quietly. "The errand I sent her on this morning, while we were first speaking with the Komainens, was the latest one that didn't get done. I had to remind her to do it this afternoon after the incident on the beach. Since she also tried to unjustly accuse you of what had happened to her while Teppo was possessed, I finally came to the conclusion that she couldn't continue here. She left on the six-o'-clock charter."

"Thank goodness," Leslie said with feeling, eliciting another laugh from him. "Oh, gosh, look how late it is. I think we'd better get some sleep."

"Quite so," Roarke agreed warmly and squeezed her shoulder. "Good night."

Leslie was sure she wouldn't get any sleep, but her brain had other ideas and she dropped off within minutes of dousing the light. By morning she felt refreshed and exhilarated, and her stomach seemed to be light with some mysterious excitement. She jumped up and dressed, and was making her bed when Roarke tapped on the door.

"Ah, very good," he said. "The Komainens are due to come here in one hour, and that gives us just enough time for breakfast."

At the Hilltop Bungalow, the Komainens were in the middle of their own morning repast, mostly in silence. Teppo's parents kept eyeing him oddly, as though he had sprouted another head, and he shot them increasingly bewildered glances. Finally he dropped his fork and sat up straight. "All right, what's the matter?" Since the family was alone, they spoke in their native Finnish.

Jaakko Komainen cleared his throat, but his wife spoke right up. "I think you're growing too attached to that girl," she said point-blank.

"You mean Leslie?" Teppo asked. "Why is that a problem?"

"There's one large obstacle to any kind of relationship between you two," his father explained kindly. "Teppo, she lives here, and you live in Finland. You can't stay here beyond the weekend. How do you expect there to be any future to this?"

"That all depends on whether Mr. Roarke can grant our fantasy," Teppo said. "Something tells me you two won't leave before that happens, and there's no telling how long it'll take." He held up a hand to forestall their protests. "Don't you think you're jumping the gun a bit here? For heaven's sake, Leslie and I met only yesterday. Why don't we concentrate on doing something about Lempo, and then we'll deal with any other issues." He scowled suddenly. "I just wish you'd trust me. Leslie is a sweet, wonderful girl and I wouldn't hurt her for the world. As the saying goes, what will be will be. Let it rest, all right?"

"We'll see what Mr. Roarke has to say," his mother said with a meaningful look at her son before she went back to her breakfast. Teppo sighed deeply and, when his parents weren't watching, rolled his eyes in exasperation before he realized abruptly that something was dulling the edges of his consciousness. He had time only to shout, _"No!"_ before he lost all awareness of his surroundings and found himself locked away again in his own brain. _Oh God,_ he thought frantically, _I'm going to hurt my parents now…_ And then he blacked out altogether.


	6. Chapter 6

§ § § -- June 9, 1985

The appointed time for the Komainens' arrival at the main house came and went without any sign of them. Roarke and Leslie waited for another ten minutes in the hope that their guests were only running late before Leslie's anxiety proved to be too much for her to handle. Roarke decided her worries were justified and took her with him to the Hilltop Bungalow.

Roarke knocked on the door; when there was no answer, he opened it and stepped inside with Leslie on his heels. The scene that greeted them therein made them both stop short and drew a loud gasp of horror from Leslie. The entire main room was a shambles: smashed knickknacks and ornaments, broken lamps, overturned tables, chair and sofa cushions all over the room, and in the middle of it all, breakfast plates lying upside down on the floor. The bungalow seemed to be deserted. Leslie's hand went to her mouth and her eyes filled with fear; even Roarke's eyes widened in amazement at the level of damage.

"Mr. and Mrs. Komainen?" he called out. "Teppo? Is anyone here?"

There was no reply, so Roarke took the three steps down into the room and picked his way across the floor, around the carnage. Leslie was barely a step or two behind him. At the back of the room, French-style shutter doors flanked by frosted-glass panels led to the spacious bedroom; Roarke tapped on one of those doors, and again received no response. The doors were outfitted with European-style handles rather than knobs; now Roarke pushed down on one handle and let the door swing slowly open.

The bedroom was nearly as big a disaster area as the main room. This time, however, they saw something far more ominous: Jaakko and Tellervo Komainen both lay insensate amidst the wreckage, he on the floor and she across the bed. Leslie loosed a half-strangled cry; Roarke rushed in alarm to Mr. Komainen's side, knelt and felt for a pulse. There was a fairly strong beat, but the man's breathing was shallow and rapid. "Call an ambulance, Leslie, quickly," Roarke ordered urgently, moving to check for Mrs. Komainen's pulse and finding one in her as well. Leslie ducked out the door to the main room and fortunately found the phone under the first sofa cushion she overturned, punching out the island's emergency number.

As soon as she had hung up, she pushed back into the bedroom. "Are they all right?" she demanded.

"They are alive," Roarke said, "but they both seem to have sustained serious injuries." He straightened up and studied Leslie with some sympathy. "Perhaps, my child, you should search for Teppo," he suggested gently.

She glanced at the sheer draperies that covered an entire wall of windows, one panel of which opened out onto the deck. "Lempo must have taken control of him again," she said and stared at Roarke helplessly. "I might know where to find Teppo, but if Lempo's got the upper hand, there's no telling where he could be."

"Your friends have returned to the island for the summer, haven't they?" Roarke reminded her. "I'm sure they'd be willing to help you look. But the fact remains that Teppo must be found as soon as humanly possible, in order to minimize any further harm that Lempo may cause through him. I will stay with his parents and get news to you when I know anything."

"All right," Leslie said finally, turned and ran out of the bungalow. The car, with its keys in the ignition, waited at the bottom of the hill; Leslie leaped in, started the engine and pulled out onto the Ring Road in the direction of the Japanese garden. If time was of the essence, as Roarke had implied, she would only waste precious minutes trying to track down her friends to form a search party. Besides, she reasoned, sweeping her gaze anxiously from one side of the road to the other and back again, in all probability, the fewer people who confronted Teppo under the god's influence, the better.

She had driven almost halfway across the island before deciding to take the Old Swamp Road turnoff, which cut directly across the island from north to south and would take her to the southern side of the island more quickly. The road, so named because it crossed a thick marshy area, had been impassable until recently, when Roarke had had the bridge rebuilt. The original had been destroyed many years before in a storm, and Leslie remembered it chiefly for its being a rendezvous point at which she and Roarke had met a couple of small-time crooks who had kidnapped Tattoo, trying to extort ransom out of Roarke. As she sailed across the new bridge, going ten miles an hour faster than she properly should have, the memory assaulted her again and she smiled briefly.

Back on the Ring Road, she again searched both sides, wondering how in the world she could possibly find one person in all the lush greenery. Then, almost too late, she saw someone leap out into the road, waving his arms wildly. Leslie slammed on the brakes and managed to stop just in time to keep from hitting him. It was one of their non-fantasizing guests; he was dressed in wet swim trunks and appeared to have just climbed out of the pool. "Miss Leslie!" he shouted. "Thank God you've come by. Something's happened at the pool and you need to do something about it!"

"Oh God," Leslie moaned, mostly to herself, and left the car sitting in the road with the engine still running while she followed the dripping vacationer up a broad dirt path to the pool. When she got there, she had to fight back a wave of nausea at the sight. No fewer than three other vacationers were stretched out flat on the cement, being given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by still others. Two tables had been overturned, and the umbrella had come loose from one of them and was now floating in the pool, where a few swimmers were struggling to get it out. Near both tables lay empty trays, shattered drink glasses and half-evaporated puddles of beverages.

"Did you get help, Frank?" someone yelled.

"I got Roarke's daughter," the man who had stopped her shouted back.

"I need to know what happened," Leslie interjected urgently. "It's very important. Have you called for help yet?"

Frank nodded. "The bartender called as soon as that…thing started whipping through here. I hardly got a look. It was like some escaped lunatic from the nut house. He shoved people into the pool right and left – I guess those three over there couldn't swim – flipped over those tables like they were toys, and threw everything within reach before he spun out of here."

"He moved like the freakin' Tasmanian devil," the other man remarked, shaking his head. "Wham, he was here, and wham, he was gone. Couldn't've been more than two minutes, but he did all that."

"Which way did you see him go?" Leslie asked. "I'm already trying to track him down."

"Out that way," Frank said, pointing at the corner entrance, which Leslie knew led to another path that eventually wound up back at the clearing beside the main house. "But he's long gone. I don't know if you're gonna catch up with him, to be honest."

"I have to," Leslie said grimly. "He's not himself and he'll be horrified when he learns what he's been made to do." With that cryptic explanation, she started back toward the entrance that led to the Ring Road, intending to take the car back around to the main house.

"But Miss Leslie, he didn't go that way," Frank's friend protested.

"He'll come out near the main house," Leslie said. "I've got a car. That'll get me there faster than taking the path. Here come the paramedics." She dodged around several figures bearing stretchers and ran full-tilt back to the car.

Within five minutes she screeched to a stop in a cloud of dust beside the fountain and jumped out of the car, darting around the side of the main house and peering into the small manicured clearing beside it. No one seemed to be around, and there was no sign that anyone was at the house. She turned back toward the car, stymied and increasingly frantic, and was trying to decide what to do next when she heard a shout.

"Leslie, have you heard?" It was Myeko Sensei, with Michiko Tokita right behind her. Leslie had never been so glad to see her friends in all her life. Myeko continued breathlessly, "There's a nutcase on the loose. He's been creating havoc all over the place all morning."

"I know," Leslie said, to their astonishment. Her eyes were wild and her nerves were shot; she was all but ready to collapse with fear and worry. "Please, you two, you've gotta help me find him. He's one of our guests this weekend and his fantasy…" She swallowed a sob. "Come on, I'll explain on the way to Amberville." It was the only good-sized town on the island, and she supposed Teppo would head that way sooner or later.

"You're really worried about this person, aren't you?" Michiko exclaimed. "Maybe Myeko or I should drive. You look like a nervous wreck." But Leslie refused, and she hurriedly summarized Teppo's identity and problem to her two friends as she gunned the car towards Amberville.

"Oh my God," Michiko breathed. "Of course we'll help you look for him. Poor guy…and his poor parents." At that precise moment Leslie roared around a corner, and both Michiko and Myeko let out shrieks and grabbed onto their seats.

"Cripes, Leslie," Myeko complained, but carried it no further, seeing the panic gleaming out of her friend's eyes. Fortunately, the next curve led them directly into the town, and Leslie swung the car into the first open parking space she saw and leaped out. Michiko and Myeko followed suit, and the three girls scanned the town square. It was quiet; there were some residents out walking, but the shops hadn't opened for business yet.

"I don't see him," Myeko finally announced.

Out of nowhere, something landed on Leslie's shoulder; her only warning was a loud flapping of wings, and Michiko and Myeko both shrieked again and ducked away. Leslie herself tried to twist away before she heard an odd voice cackle, "Reach for the sky!"

"Pepper!" she cried. The parrot flapped for a moment and settled down as she steadied herself, then grabbed a lock of hair in his beak and spread his wings as if to take off again. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "Cut it out, Pepper, that's my hair."

Pepper let go and flapped around her in a tipsy circle, squawking. "Beach boy!" he cawed. "Beach boy!"

"What's he talking about?" Michiko asked.

Myeko watched the parrot orbiting Leslie. "Heck of a time to talk about music."

Pepper repeated his new phrase and flew toward the town square some distance before wheeling around and landing on Leslie's head. "Beach boy," he said insistently. Once again he took off and returned.

Something clicked in Leslie's brain, and she gasped. "The beach," she blurted and broke into a run, startling Pepper off her head. The bird flew out ahead of the three girls as they pounded across the square and down a small dirt lane that ended two blocks past the last building at a flight of stone steps which led to the beach. Pepper soared out over the sand and veered off to the left; Leslie pelted after him, with her friends trying their hardest to keep up.

They followed Pepper around a small outcropping covered with palms and wild rosebushes, and that was when they saw the small crowd, gathered in a wide circle and most brandishing sticks or rocks. In the middle of their circle, looking much the worse for wear, was Teppo.


	7. Chapter 7

§ § § -- June 9, 1985

"Is that him?" breathed Myeko in awe.

Leslie nodded faintly, stunned by the scene in front of her. For a moment she could only stare; then Pepper dove for her, shrieking, and she was startled into action. "Wait here," she said. "He doesn't know you and I don't want you two getting hurt." She ran across the sand, stumbling a little in the loose grains, and yelled at the top of her lungs, _"STOP!!"_

At the sound, the people circling Teppo turned all at once to stare at her. Most of them recognized her and ran toward her, thinking to protect her. "Don't go near that crazy nut, he'll kill you!" someone cried.

"You don't understand," Leslie burst out, pushing ahead in an attempt to get to Teppo. "He's one of our guests and we're trying to help him. Please, let me through." She managed to break out of the protesting crowd and approached the figure hovering some yards away, half crouched, that feral gleam in his eyes again. Teppo's T-shirt and shorts sported several rips and holes, and he had lost his footwear long since. His hair stuck out in all directions, and he was smeared with dust and dirt. He was breathing heavily and his body trembled, as if he had reached the end of his inner energy reserve.

"Teppo," Leslie called out, approaching him a cautious step at a time. "Teppo, it's me, Leslie."

The sound of her voice brought his head whipping around, and their gazes locked for no more than one second before the eerie light vanished from Teppo's eyes, which rolled back in his head as he dropped heavily to the sand. The collective sigh of relief from the crowd behind Leslie was audible even over the gentle roar of the surf rolling in, and she turned to them with a quick smile. "He'll be all right now. I need to get him to the hospital…will someone please help me carry him to the car? I left it in town."

The group stirred and mumbled, but there were no volunteers. Seeing this, Michiko and Myeko trotted forward. "Oh, for crying out loud, you'd think this was Salem in 1692," Myeko remarked in disgust. "We'll help, Leslie. This witch-hunt stuff is really stupid."

"If you people won't help," Michiko suggested calmly, "maybe you'd better go back to whatever you were doing before." So saying, she started for Teppo, with Leslie alongside. Myeko shook her head and followed.

Instead of dispersing, the knot of beachgoers watched distrustfully as Michiko and Myeko each grasped one of Teppo's ankles and Leslie slid a hand beneath each of his shoulders. "One, two, three," Myeko counted, and the girls heaved Teppo's limp form off the ground and plodded across the sand with determined faces.

Suddenly someone in the crowd cursed in resignation. "Hey, I'll help," he said. "It's a long way to carry a body back into town." Two others joined him, clearly with reluctance. Between the six of them, they made it fairly easily back into Amberville's town square and to the waiting car.

They laid Teppo across the middle seat and Leslie handed Michiko the keys. "We should get him to the hospital," she said. "His parents are there and Mr. Roarke should be there too."

Leslie sat cradling Teppo's head in her lap the whole way to the hospital. When they pulled up, the door popped open and several orderlies came out rolling a stretcher. Roarke was with them. Leslie watched the orderlies lift Teppo out of the car and onto the stretcher, her gaze following the little procession till they disappeared through the emergency-room doors. Michiko and Myeko came to stand on either side of Leslie, and Roarke smiled at them both.

"Hello, Michiko, Myeko," he greeted them before focusing on his daughter. "What happened? Where did you finally find him?"

"On the beach at Amberville," she said and related the tale of her frantic search for Teppo. Roarke frowned when he heard what had happened at the pool, but said nothing till she was finished. Instead he placed a hand between her shoulder blades and guided her into the hospital, with Michiko and Myeko following automatically.

Inside, Teppo had already been taken to an empty room and was lying inert on a bed. "How is he?" Leslie asked anxiously.

"Vital signs are normal, and there's nothing wrong with him that a quick bath wouldn't make good as new," one of the orderlies told her with a faint smile. He glanced at Roarke. "I'd say this is more of a matter for Mr. Roarke to handle."

"And you would be correct," Roarke replied, giving Teppo a quick once-over before turning to the orderly. "Thank you for your help. I believe we can manage from here."

When the orderlies had left, Roarke turned to Teppo and once again summoned the young Finn's consciousness back to the fore. At first he wore the usual confused look; then he spotted and recognized Leslie, and everything seemed to come back to him at once. Abruptly he popped up into a sitting position and grabbed her hands, studying her carefully. "You're not hurt?"

"No," Leslie said and sat down on the bed beside him. "What about you?"

Teppo shook his head. "Tell me what happened," he ordered, "and don't omit anything."

"Oh God, Teppo…" she protested, her eyes filling with tears. "I wish you wouldn't…"

"I have to know," Teppo insisted sharply, tightening his grip on her hands. Leslie squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the tears out, and he turned to Roarke. "Mr. Roarke, whatever damage I caused, I'll do all I can to make restitution. But I need to know what I did."

Roarke nodded and quietly explained what he himself had seen, then summarized what Leslie had told him. Teppo stared at him, white-faced, then cursed furiously in Finnish. "Why is it that Lempo comes out only when you're not available?" he demanded, frustrated. "I think that's why I can't seem to shake him. It needs to happen when you're there to see it, Mr. Roarke, so that you have some way of confronting Lempo directly." He shook his head, angry with himself and even more so with the god that possessed him. "The last thing I remember is seeing everything go black, like on a TV program right before an advertisement, and I thought to myself that I was going to hurt my parents this time. Then here I was." He stared at Roarke with fear on his features. "How badly did I hurt my mother and father?"

Roarke closed his eyes briefly. "They both have head injuries. Your mother sustained a concussion, and your father has a cranial fracture. At this time his condition is touch-and-go, I am afraid." He stepped to the bedside, laid a hand on Teppo's shoulder and stroked Leslie's hair in an attempt to comfort her.

Teppo winced and hung his head. "Now the damage may be irreparable," he mumbled.

At that Leslie leaned earnestly forward and cradled his face in her hands. "It's not your fault," she told him. "It's Lempo's, and you know it. Whatever happens, we're going to find some way to free you of this thing." She turned to Roarke. "Mr. Roarke, there's no way Teppo's parents can travel in their condition, even if we free Teppo of that god today. They'll have to stay till they're well enough to go home."

Teppo looked a little startled. "But I can't take up a whole bungalow alone," he protested. "Maybe I should just sleep in the hospital waiting room."

Roarke considered this for a moment. "The cottage the assistants normally occupy is empty now," he said. "It has only two small rooms, Teppo, but you are welcome to stay in it as long as necessary. Since you seem to be in good health, you might repair to the cottage and freshen up. If you prefer to remain here at the hospital in case there is word on your parents, that's fine, but I strongly suggest that you join Leslie and me for lunch at twelve-thirty this afternoon."

Teppo agreed and they left the room; Leslie was surprised to see Michiko and Myeko still in the waiting room. "How come you two are loitering around here?" she asked playfully.

"Hey, we had nothing better to do anyway," Myeko joshed her back. "Seriously, how are they?" Her eyes strayed to Teppo and widened with appreciation. "Well, _you_ look okay, at least."

"Oh?" Teppo eyed his torn clothes and grimy skin, and grinned at her. "You're obviously willing to overlook a lot." They all laughed. "I take it you're friends of Leslie."

The girls nodded and introduced themselves, and Teppo shook hands with them. "If I did anything to either of you or your families, I apologize," he said.

Michiko blinked. "No, for heaven's sake, you didn't get around as much as you think you did. We only heard rumors – the island grapevine is as efficient as in any small town. Poor Leslie was almost out of her mind worrying about you. She told us what brought you to Fantasy Island." As they talked, they all strolled out of the hospital and toward the car. "You must be going through sheer hell. I wish you the best of luck."

Roarke dropped Michiko and Myeko off at the entrance to a small cluster of suburban-style homes where they lived, then let Teppo out at the cottage Tattoo, Lawrence and all the subsequent assistants had lived in. It was about ten-thirty when he and Leslie got back to the main house, where Leslie turned to her adoptive father in a pensive mood.

"Do we have any kind of reference material on Finnish mythology?" she asked.

Roarke sighed. "I spent a large part of last evening gleaning what I could from Mr. and Mrs. Komainen, but they themselves admitted that their knowledge of Finnish mythology is scant at best. The entire subject is quite obscure."

"Don't you have a copy of the _Kalevala_?" Leslie asked.

"There is a copy at the island library," said Roarke, "but as Teppo's mother explained to us initially, it's the national epic, which means it is on a par with the Icelandic sagas or Homer's _Odyssey_. However, it may be our only source of information at this time."

They did find a somewhat battered copy of the _Kalevala_ in the library, translated into slightly archaic English. The book was not indexed, which meant that Roarke and Leslie had to read every one of the approximately three dozen epic poems that made up the full saga. Lempo was mentioned several times throughout, but was clearly not a major player; and neither of them learned anything new about the Finnish god. They were forced to admit defeat and hurry back to the main house in time to meet Teppo for lunch.

Teppo himself was slightly late, having come from the hospital. "No change in Mother's or Father's condition," he reported grimly. "I hope you two have better news."

Leslie shook her head regretfully. "I wish we did, but even the _Kalevala_ didn't tell us anything we could use."

Roarke, lost in thought, barely acknowledged Mariki when she brought out the luncheon dishes, and Teppo and Leslie conveyed their thanks. In silence the three began to eat; then, after just a few bites, Roarke focused sharply on Teppo.

"Your parents mentioned entertaining a scholar of the _Kalevala_," Roarke said. "Do you know the name of that man, and how to get in touch with him?"


	8. Chapter 8

§ § § -- June 9, 1985

Teppo considered Roarke's question for a few moments. "I think I do." He looked up. "Meeting him at all was a stroke of luck. His name is Launo Haavisto, and he's been seeing a cousin of mine. She brought him over for dinner, and as luck would have it, Lempo was in control when they got there. When I became aware again, I found myself tied to a tree in our backyard, and my entire family, as well as my cousin and Haavisto, were out there watching. That's when he started asking questions and finally decided I was possessed by Lempo. How he knew is a complete mystery to me, though. I admit I don't know very much about Lempo, but then again, it's not easy to find much information about him to begin with."

Roarke nodded, processing the information for just a moment. "I believe the next step is to contact your cousin and have Mr. Haavisto at least speak with us over the telephone, if not come to Fantasy Island in person. We'll use the phone in my office, but first we should finish this excellent meal." He winked conspiratorially at Leslie. "We wouldn't want to raise Mariki's ire."

"Absolutely not," Leslie agreed with a shudder, and Teppo laughed, catching her attention. "Hey, I'm not exaggerating. Mariki is the best cook I've ever known, but she has a formidable temper, and she really gets her hackles up if we don't eat."

"Then I suggest we do some justice to this meal, just as Mr. Roarke said," Teppo agreed, still grinning, and dug in. Conversation was sporadic while they ate; all three were thinking of the upcoming phone call and hoping for some answers.

They were nearly finished when a harried-looking fellow with two preteen girls in tow strode across the porch, a desperate look on his flushed features. "Mr. Roarke, I—" He stopped short when he realized they were still eating. "Sorry for interrupting your meal…"

Roarke put down his utensils and made quick use of a napkin. "That's quite all right, Mr. Decker. Is there a problem?"

"Well, Ashley and Callie here have been chomping at the bit to get their fantasy granted, but so far, nothing. And they're starting to get a little restless, if you know what I mean."

One of the girls spoke up indignantly. "Mr. Roarke, you already gave my dad his fantasy, and now it's Callie's and my turn."

"Yeah," the other girl put in her two cents. "When do we get to see a unicorn?"

"Do you even _have_ any on this island anyway?" Ashley concluded scornfully.

Roarke glanced back and forth between the girls, to the man who had accompanied them, and finally to Teppo and Leslie. "The phone call may have to wait for a short time," he said apologetically. "I'll return as soon as I can." He then got up and ushered the trio back along the porch, saying as he did, "Girls, surely you remember what I told you about unicorns and how they are extremely shy…" His voice trailed off, and Teppo turned to Leslie in disbelief.

"He can't be serious. _Unicorns?_ Those two girls actually expect to see such a thing?"

Leslie shrugged. "Unicorns are picky about who they show themselves to. If I were a unicorn, I certainly wouldn't be eager to meet those two little whiners." Then she caught Teppo's expression and tipped her head to one side, regarding him with a gently rebuking smile. "Hey, don't be so quick to dismiss the idea. After all, you're having problems with a god that's considered to be just as mythical as any unicorn."

Teppo quirked one side of his mouth, looking sheepish. "Point taken." She grinned, and he gave her a suspicious look. "Have _you_ seen these alleged unicorns?"

"Once," said Leslie. "Mr. Roarke and Tattoo took me to see them on my sixteenth birthday. It was quite a treat." She slanted a mischievous smile his way. "If you're a good boy, maybe I'll let _you_ see one."

"The highlight of my weekend," he drawled, and she broke into laughter. Clearly pleased with himself for evoking this response in her, he turned her head to face him and kissed her.

Roarke topped the steps and was halfway across the porch when he saw them; his dark eyes grew wide with surprise. Here was a new twist in the tale, to be sure. He waited quietly for a moment, looking aside; but when he glanced back a full minute later and they were still engrossed, he smiled wryly and decided it was time to step in. Clearing his throat loudly, he continued his approach to the table and saw the two break apart hastily.

"So will those girls see their unicorns?" Teppo inquired, recovering first. Leslie, who had immediately turned fiery red, grabbed her fork and started clearing the remaining food on her plate with some gusto, refusing to look up.

"I daresay they may," Roarke said dismissively. "Have you finished eating yet?"

Teppo watched Leslie with amusement and said, "I don't think so, Mr. Roarke. But at this rate we'll be only another minute or so." He grinned and popped a grape into his mouth. Leslie looked up from her plate just long enough to cast Teppo one extremely dirty look, and Teppo nearly choked on the grape from his laughter. Roarke chuckled softly and arose before Leslie could turn her ire on him.

"You two can meet me in the office when you've finished," he said, and with that he left them alone. Leslie swallowed, dropped her fork on her plate with a clatter and stood up fast enough to create a breeze. Teppo got up behind her, but by the time he had extricated himself from his chair, she was almost halfway to the door. He had to run to catch up.

"Leslie, wait," he called, pounding across the porch and managing to grab her arm. "Are you angry with me? I didn't mean to upset you."

She sighed and hung her head. "It's just that…well, Mr. Roarke saw us, after all, and I just…" She looked up plaintively. "Well, I'm getting a little nervous about the way I'm starting to feel about you."

Teppo tipped her head up, planted one soft kiss on her lips, and smiled at her. "Believe me, you have company. I'm a little overwhelmed myself. But I have to tell you, it's the best I've felt since Lempo started invading my brain. So I hope you won't withdraw from me simply because your father caught us kissing. I didn't hear any objections on his part." She started to roll her eyes and he kissed her again, then slipped an arm around her waist. "Come on, let's go see about that phone call."

In the office, Roarke had already seated himself behind his desk, and smiled when Teppo and Leslie came in. "Good," he said. "Teppo, why don't you make the call."

In about five minutes Teppo was on the line with his cousin in Finland, speaking rapidly in his native tongue. Roarke watched his daughter with new interest; Leslie was gazing at Teppo, head tilted slightly to the side as if she were trying to understand Teppo's speech. He was a little surprised at himself that he hadn't noticed the apparent attraction between Teppo and Leslie until just now. Never before had she shown this much interest in a boy, and he was worried about what would happen to her once Teppo and his family returned home to Finland.

Suddenly Teppo turned to him, interrupting his musings, and asked, "May I have a pen and some paper, Mr. Roarke?" Roarke provided him with these items, and he smiled his thanks and switched back to Finnish, scribbling down a series of numbers while his cousin dictated them to him. _"Kiitos_, Tarja," he concluded, hanging up. "She gave me this phone number where I can reach Launo Haavisto. But Finland's eleven hours ahead of this time zone, so it'll probably be much too late at night to make the call."

Roarke did some swift calculations and nodded in realization; it would be around midnight in Finland now. "Unfortunately, yes," he said. "For the moment, we seem to have reached an impasse in our progress; and since that is the case, we may as well make a trip to the hospital and see if your parents' conditions have changed."

Their visit to the hospital produced no news, and after that the sunny tropical afternoon seemed ominous somehow. Leslie kept checking the sky as if she expected it to fill with storm clouds any moment, and Teppo paced the floor until Roarke invented an errand for his daughter and suggested she take Teppo with her. He was as relieved to see them go as they were to do it.

Dealing with his other guests necessitated that Roarke put the problem of Lempo to the back of his mind, and he found it a bit refreshing to think about other things. He had never had such a difficult fantasy before and was a little frustrated at its murky obscurity. There were so many questions that had no answers, and he was mentally weary of the knotty mystery. By the time the afternoon had begun to wane towards evening, he had seen to the complaints and inquiries of nearly two dozen guests and actually caught up on his paperwork for the first time in months. He was about ready to turn his mind back to the Komainens and their dilemma when the telephone rang. "Yes?"

What he heard made him frown in disbelief for a moment, then close his eyes and nod. "I am deeply sorry. No, I'll tell him myself. Thank you." He was just hanging up when Teppo and Leslie entered the house, both looking only slightly more relaxed than when they had left. Roarke stood up and watched them come in, his features solemn.

Leslie noticed first. "What's wrong, Mr. Roarke?"

Roarke cleared his throat and came around the desk. "I just received a telephone call," he said and focused on Teppo. "It was the hospital. Teppo, your father…passed away about ten minutes ago."


	9. Chapter 9

§ § § -- June 9, 1985

Teppo stared at Roarke as if Roarke had hit him. "Father's dead?" he asked. Saying the words aloud seemed to drive the fact home, and he reeled, stumbling backwards till he fell into a chair. Leslie, looking stunned, drifted dazedly behind his chair and placed her hands on his shoulders, but he abruptly shrugged her touch away and fell forward from the waist, his hands rising to cover his face. A hurt expression crossed Leslie's face, but she said nothing, only backed away from the chair and wandered to the window to stare out.

"I am deeply sorry, Teppo," Roarke said softly. "I know mere words are little comfort at a time like this."

"It's my fault," Teppo mumbled, and Roarke closed his eyes again.

"No," he began, only to retreat a quick step or two when Teppo rocketed out of his chair and glared at him.

"It _is_ my fault!" he shouted, his voice ringing off the walls. _"I killed my own father!!"_

"You did nothing of the sort," Roarke contradicted him sharply. "You had no control over your body or your mind. This is the work of Lempo. _Think_, young man! Have you any memory of the incident that caused your father's death?"

"You know I don't!" Teppo yelled.

"Then why blame yourself?" Roarke demanded. "You know full well that Lempo allows you no awareness or memory of anything that happens while you are under his control. You seem to me to be an intelligent human being. Use that intellect and stop taking the blame for something for which you were not responsible!"

Teppo let his head fall back and took several deep breaths before speaking again. "All right," he said brusquely, "then I think I'd better go to the hospital and see how Mother is." He gave Roarke a sharp look and said pointedly, "Alone."

"If that is your wish," Roarke said.

"Do you want me to…" Leslie began, turning from the window, but Teppo shook his head before she could finish the sentence.

"No," he said, "this doesn't concern you." So saying, he walked out.

Leslie stared at Roarke in bewilderment. "I don't understand."

"He's hurting, Leslie," Roarke said softly, going to her and drawing her into a hug. "Perhaps this is his way of dealing with the shock. Give him a little time."

The evening became night and Teppo did not return. Leslie grew despondent, and Roarke finally pressed a stack of letters into her hand and told her to go through them for fantasy requests. She did so, but without her usual enthusiasm, and at last Roarke sent her to bed about ten. She was more than happy to go, and Roarke heaved a weary sigh to himself before pulling the telephone across the desk and dialing the number of the scholar in Finland. He connected almost immediately and spoke with Launo Haavisto for almost half an hour, taking careful notes as he did. What he learned amazed him utterly.

‡ ‡ ‡ -- June 10, 1985

When Roarke returned to the main house with Julie and a very subdued Leslie the following morning after seeing most of their guests off, he found Teppo Komainen stalking around the office, fuming. Teppo stopped the moment Roarke entered the foyer and said in disgust, "It's about time you came back. I need your help arranging to have my father's body sent home."

"You need not trouble yourself," Roarke said, politely but coolly. "I shall handle everything. Shouldn't you be at the hospital seeing to your mother?" He crossed the room to his desk; Julie and Leslie both stood in the foyer, watching warily.

"What good would that be?" Teppo retorted. "Her condition is no different. Quite frankly, I've been considering asking for a refund on Mother's behalf. So far, you've done exactly nothing to rid me of this problem, and I see no point in prolonging our stay here."

"You really ought to give him a chance," Julie scolded. "I understand this is a very difficult fantasy, and it needs extra time."

"He's had all the time he needs," Teppo barked at her. "He and his daughter both. I think it's definitely time for Mother and me to go home with Father's body."

"And let the god continue to destroy your family and your life?" Julie countered.

"Stay out of this," Teppo told her rudely and turned back to Roarke. "I demand that you start making the arrangements right now."

Julie shrugged. "Excuse me, uncle, I've got to get back home." Roarke nodded, and she left the house, giving Leslie a couple of pats on the shoulder on her way out.

"Very well, if you so wish," Roarke said calmly to Teppo. "Have you anything to say to Leslie?"

Silence dropped in the room like a bomb, and Teppo turned slowly around to stare at Leslie. She stared warily back and clasped her hands behind her back to hide their trembling, just before Teppo's gray eyes turned icy and he said, "There's nothing left to say."

She recoiled as though he had slapped her. "Then get out of here," she shouted at him and fled up the stairs as if on wings. Roarke and Teppo both watched her go; then Roarke turned his attention to the young Finn and narrowed his dark eyes.

"I am inclined to agree with her," he said. "Perhaps you should leave. I had thought you would be good for Leslie, but I no longer quite believe that. Since you continue to be ruled by Lempo, and since you have made a decision to terminate your fantasy, I can only conclude that it would be in her best interests if you left immediately. I refuse to allow you to hurt my daughter."

"I'd never have hurt her," Teppo exploded abruptly. "Good Lord, man, what do you take me for? No, I hurt only my own family." This last came out dripping with sarcasm.

"No?" Roarke retorted, his tone lightly mocking. "I saw differently just now. Or perhaps you're suggesting that I am hallucinating?" His gaze shifted into a glare and he chose his next words deliberately. "You are a menace to my child, and I will not provide you with the means to injure her, physically or emotionally. I will do everything in my power to keep you away from her."

Teppo swore in Finnish – and then a strange light filled his eyes, turning them nearly white with a feral glow. His face contorted, arranged itself into a sneer; his stance became threatening, and hatred and rage seemed to create a nearly visible aura around him. Lempo had returned, and Roarke leaned forward with an intense concentration, his eyes widening, then narrowing again. The room darkened completely, except for a pool of light around Roarke and the possessed young man.

For the first time, Lempo spoke. Teppo's mouth opened and Lempo's voice emerged in a throat-ripping growl. _"You'll not stop me from getting what I want, Roarke!"_ The god had a very heavy Finnish accent, but he spoke in English.

"You have done more than enough damage, Lempo," Roarke said. "You have injured many people, killed a man, and nearly destroyed a young man's life. It's time for you to set Teppo Komainen free!"

"_He violated the birthplace,"_ Lempo snarled. _"For that he shall be punished!"_

"If indeed he did, he must certainly be unaware of it. Explain yourself. What do you mean, he 'violated the birthplace'?"

"_He walked through my forest, through the birthplace, where no mortal is ever allowed to go. He will die for that…"_ Lempo's voice suddenly trailed off and Teppo's head snapped around. _"The girl is here."_

Roarke's gaze jumped from Teppo/Lempo to Leslie, who had appeared in the room and was edging gingerly around the latter in an attempt to get to her father. Roarke stepped out from behind the desk and reached out for her. "Come around here, Leslie."

"You're not going to tell me to leave?" she whispered, flicking her attention nervously back and forth between Roarke and his adversary.

Roarke shook his head once and unexpectedly smiled at her. "No, you are essential to the outcome of this fantasy. Stay by my side and wait quietly." She nodded, and he turned back to his nemesis. "Show yourself, Lempo. Stop using the young man as a shield and face me in your true guise."

Teppo's image wavered and shifted in a pale mist that swirled around and above him before coalescing into a nine-foot ghostlike image with the appearance of an unimaginably old man. Curiously, his hands ended in gnarled, leafy twigs where his fingers should have been, and twisted branches emerged from either side of his head, about where the horns would have been on Roarke's oldest adversary, Mephistopheles. The feral glow that had obscured Teppo's eyes now gleamed out of Lempo's. _"You see me in my true form, Roarke,"_ Lempo intoned. _"It's as well. Now the young man dies."_

"I hardly think so," Roarke said. "And you are as well aware as I of the reason you cannot destroy Teppo Komainen."

Lempo seemed to freeze there in midair where he hovered, as if processing this statement; then he glared malevolently at Roarke. _"Are you so willing to give up what is most precious to you?"_

Roarke only smiled, a little sadly. Leslie stared at him, mystified. "To save a life, I would make whatever sacrifice I must."

"_Very well. Mind you, Roarke, if he once more violates the birthplace, nothing will save him, and not even you can prevent his fate. You have won…this time. But you are warned."_

Roarke nodded. "So be it. Now, release the young man."

The misty image vanished, Teppo collapsed to the floor, and the room regained its normal lighting, all in one instant. No one moved for a long moment; then Teppo stirred and sat up all on his own, staring around him as if he had never seen the room before. Finally his wide-eyed gaze lit on Roarke. "I feel…lighter."

"Indeed you should," Roarke remarked with a smile. "You are free of Lempo."

"Just like that?" Leslie asked, astonished.

Roarke chuckled. "Yes, my dear Leslie, although perhaps not exactly 'just like that', as you say. Sit down, both of you. There are some things you must know."

Teppo and Leslie each took a club chair; they both seemed suddenly very shy around each other, but they sneaked quick peeks at each other until they were settled and Roarke had commandeered their attention. "Okay then," Teppo said. "I heard what was going on this time, Mr. Roarke. I remember everything that happened, from the moment Lempo took over. I can't understand how I 'violated his birthplace'."

"Lempo's domain is the forest," Roarke said. "It is where he was born and has always lived and ruled. And you, like so many of your countrymen, are a nature-lover. The entire time you have been here, you have chosen to spend time outdoors – at the Japanese garden, on the beach, wherever. So you are very much an outdoor person. You hike through the forest near your home, do you not?" Teppo nodded. "Somehow, during one of those walks, you apparently passed through a part of the forest that Lempo held sacred, and he felt the need to punish you for it. Thus, his periodic possession of your mind and body, and his use thereof to harm those around you." He smiled in amusement at Teppo's astounded expression. "I spoke with Launo Haavisto last night, and he explained all this to me. That's why he asked you so many questions the first time you met him. His subsequent research gave him the answers you were all searching for."

"I see," Teppo murmured. He took a moment to digest all this, then turned to Leslie and swallowed thickly. "I turned against you in my grief over my father," he said, his voice soft with self-recrimination. "It was wrong of me, Leslie, and I'm so sorry. I pushed you away from me when I really needed you more than anything else. I don't want you to hate me…I hope you can forgive me for treating you so badly."

"I can understand grieving for a parent," Leslie said and smiled slightly at him. "I've been there myself, you know. You've had one crazy weekend, but it's all over now." She extended a hand toward him, and he took it, grinning at her in pure relief.

"I'm just glad I didn't do any lasting damage to you," Teppo said, squeezing her hand and turning to Roarke. "But why, exactly? When Lempo controlled me, I lashed out at everyone and everything – yet Leslie alone remained immune. Why?"

The sad smile returned to Roarke's features. "It's quite simple, really. Leslie was safe from harm because of the power of your love for her, and hers for you." They stared at him without comprehension, and he concluded softly, "For you see, Lempo is not only the Finnish god of evil; he is also – believe it or not – the god of love."


	10. Chapter 10

§ § § -- June 10, 1985

"Impossible," Teppo said immediately.

Leslie blinked, then turned to Teppo and remarked teasingly, "Boy, you Finns sure have some peculiar ideas about mythology."

"Quiet, you," Teppo replied cheerfully. He eyed Roarke. "Did Launo Haavisto tell you that, too? Is he actually serious?"

"Your Mr. Haavisto shed a great deal of light on Lempo's proclivities," Roarke said. "It's true; Lempo is both the god of evil and the god of love, implausible though it may sound. It was the reason Leslie was untouched whenever Lempo took control. He knew that you and she were beginning to fall in love, and because of that, he couldn't touch her. And because he is the god of love, he could not thwart the developing relationship; indeed, he was obligated to encourage it. That was the trump card I played against him. I deliberately provoked you by telling you I would keep you away from Leslie, so that Lempo would take control and I could finally confront him."

Teppo thought this over and suddenly winced. "Oh, no. That's why I…or rather, Lempo attacked my parents. Just before Lempo took over on that occasion, they were trying to gently discourage me from developing more than a friendship with Leslie."

"That's also why you attacked Kekipi," Leslie realized aloud. "She was trying to pull rank on me at the beach, poking her finger at me and threatening to rat me out to you, Mr. Roarke. Even then I guess Lempo knew something we didn't yet realize, and took control so he could 'protect' me from Kekipi." She laughed. "It's almost too bad you weren't here when we first hired that woman, Teppo. We never did get along, and she had a way of trying to blame me for anything she thought she could remotely get away with."

Teppo grinned. "Well, better late than never, as the saying goes. So, Mr. Roarke, you're saying that Lempo released me because I've been…attracted to Leslie?"

Roarke nodded, studying him and Leslie by turns. "Perhaps there is more there than you realize just yet. But before you start to think too hard about that, I suggest we check on your mother. With Lempo's departure, there may be a change in her condition."

When they reached the hospital, they discovered that Roarke was correct. Tellervo Komainen, according to her attending doctor, had awakened about half an hour before and, despite a slight headache due to her concussion, told him she felt fine. She brightened when Teppo came into her room, followed at a slight distance by Roarke and Leslie, who waited by the door while Teppo and his mother hugged each other and spoke in Finnish for a few moments. Then Teppo took a deep breath and cleared his throat; though he continued to speak in Finnish, Leslie and Roarke knew from his expression that he was breaking the news to his mother about his father's death. When he finished speaking, he hung his head, as if waiting for recrimination.

But Mrs. Komainen seemed frozen in place, and she stared blankly at the wall across from her bed for a seeming eternity. She was silent for so long that Teppo finally looked up, and frowned at what he saw. "Mother?" he ventured, passing a hand in front of her eyes. She continued to sit and stare, and Roarke sharpened his focus on her, watching her intently.

Finally she moaned and began to mutter in Finnish, as if to herself. Teppo's gray eyes widened in alarm. "Mother," he said again, but that was all he got out before she broke down into heavy sobs that racked her body violently enough to shake the bed. Roarke called hastily for the doctor, who was still standing near the admissions desk; he came on the run, and within a couple of minutes Mrs. Komainen had been given a sedative and had settled back in the bed, growing woozy from the medication. Both Teppo and Roarke had been watching her carefully; when the medical personnel had cleared out of the room and the three visitors had followed, the two men looked at each other.

"I've never seen grief like that," Teppo said uneasily. "Do you think she will be all right?"

Roarke hesitated before replying, as if weighing his words. "We can only wait and see," he said. "In any case, it appears your mother will be here for a few more days, and apart from keeping an eye on her and visiting her for some time each day, I don't think there is very much you can do for her. Grief is an extremely personal emotion, and each individual must deal with it in his or her own way. You must allow your mother the opportunity to do so…and you must deal with your own grief as well."

Teppo nodded his understanding. "Thank you, Mr. Roarke." He turned to Leslie. "If your father doesn't mind, would you come back to the cottage with me? I think we have some things to talk about."

Leslie deferred to Roarke, who nodded. "Take whatever time you need." She thought she saw a wistful glint in his dark eyes, but it was gone so quickly that she decided not to mention it. Instead she simply smiled her gratitude at him, took Teppo's hand and strolled out with him.

They had ambled for some five minutes in the direction of the cottage in which Teppo was staying before he spoke. "How did you handle the deaths of your parents?" he asked.

Leslie thought it over. "I kind of withdrew into myself," she remembered. "I was scared of everyone and everything for awhile, because I wasn't sure what was going to happen to me. I mean, I knew my mother had made arrangements with Mr. Roarke for me to come here and live with him till I was grown, but I was in shock, and on top of that I knew nothing about him or Fantasy Island. Remember how I told you they died in a fire?" Teppo nodded, and she went on: "Well, it wasn't just a fire. It was an inferno. The house burned to the ground in practically no time flat, and not only did my parents and sisters die, but I lost nearly everything I owned."

"How did you escape perishing in that fire?" Teppo asked, amazed.

"I happened to be sleeping over with my friend Cindy Lou the evening of the fire," she told him. "I had an overnight bag with my pajamas, a change of clothes, my toothbrush, and a photo album I was planning to show Cindy Lou. That's the sum total of everything I brought to Fantasy Island with me." She sighed. "Nobody knew quite what to say to me afterward. I interpreted their awkwardness around me as rejection because I was an orphan now, and I built a wall around myself. Only my mother had left a will, and the only thing it dealt with was what should happen to me. The lawyers were dumbfounded. They kept saying how eerie it was that the will handled that and literally nothing else, as if she had known that I'd be the only survivor and that there'd be nothing left to leave to anyone."

"_Herranen aika,"_ Teppo mumbled in Finnish, then smiled apologetically. "Sorry, but I have to agree with those lawyers. It _was_ eerie."

"That's because they didn't know she'd been to Fantasy Island once before and found out what was in my future," Leslie said. "I told you about that too, remember?"

"That's right," Teppo said, thinking back. "But you seem to be happy now."

Leslie nodded. "It's been long enough that I can smile now when I remember my family and my early childhood. But when I first came here, Mr. Roarke scared me almost to death. Even Tattoo made me nervous, just because he was a stranger to me. But he was the one who put me at ease right from the start. I felt like I was walking on eggs for weeks after my arrival because I was certain I was going to royally screw something up and catch holy hell from Mr. Roarke." She grinned. "But I slowly settled in, and I got used to Mr. Roarke, and Tattoo treated me like a niece. I think he kind of smoothed things out between me and Mr. Roarke, so that when Tattoo got married and left the island, Mr. Roarke and I wound up becoming much closer."

Teppo heaved an enormous sigh and stared into the trees. "Well, I'm not very sure my story will have as happy an ending. My mother may blame me for my father's death, and not without reason. It doesn't matter that Lempo was controlling me at the time; I'm still the one who brought it about. I can't stop feeling guilty for that. The last time I spoke with my father, he was explaining to me that you and I couldn't possibly have any future because I live on the other side of the world from here. His and Mother's skepticism set off Lempo, and…well, you know the rest. And I'm afraid that when my brothers and sisters learn of it, they'll blame me as well."

"They know you were possessed by Lempo, don't they?" Leslie protested. "I realize you and they would have a different perspective from mine or anyone else's, since he was your father. But you've got to remember that it _wasn't you_. If you'd been in full possession of your mind and body, it would never have happened. You couldn't do anything about it whenever Lempo took over, and you know it, and I'm sure they do too. You've got to stop blaming yourself, Teppo. It was simply beyond your ability to deal with. I didn't get a chance to know your father well, but he seemed like a really nice man, and he must have been a great dad. I have a feeling he'd tell you the same thing."

Teppo stopped walking and turned to face her. "You're right," he said softly. "I've been trying to tell myself that, and I know Mr. Roarke has said it a few times too. But for some reason, it took you to convince me. Not that I won't always feel some measure of guilt. You know, 'if I hadn't done this, that wouldn't have happened.' But you make sense when you put it that way, and it helps me to feel better." She smiled, and for a moment they stood there, with her hands folded into his. Then his expression changed. "That's another matter for discussion. Mr. Roarke seemed to be under the impression that our feelings for each other must be deeper than we think, if they were enough to protect you from Lempo and eventually be the instrument of my release from him." He thought it over while she watched.

After several moments she said hesitantly, "I don't know exactly how you feel, but I can tell you I didn't sleep too well last night, and I cried a lot. Maybe both Mr. Roarke and Lempo saw much more than we do. But the more I think about it, the more I think I'm in love with you."

Teppo blinked several times and snapped his gaze back into focus. "It's been such a crazy weekend, it feels as if it's been more than forty-eight hours since we were first introduced to each other. And yet…there must be something in the air on this island, because I have the same feeling. As you said, the more I think about it, the more I believe I love you, too."

"I hope we're both right," Leslie murmured bashfully. "I guess we must be, since it was enough to get Lempo out of your head."

A slow smile began to spread across Teppo's face. "Right now, I prefer to suspend the discussion till later," he said, and with that, he kissed her.

‡ ‡ ‡ -- June 23, 1985

Tellervo Komainen was finally pronounced well enough to travel, and she was released from Fantasy Island Hospital on the Sunday two weeks after the Komainens had arrived on the island. Though still grieving over her late husband, she and Teppo had talked things over and both agreed that Leslie and Roarke had been right that it was Lempo who rightfully bore the blame for Jaakko's death and not Teppo. The body had been flown home to Finland for a funeral and burial, and there had been long and painful discussions and explanations for Teppo's brothers and sisters, all of whom fortunately understood that he had not been to blame.

Teppo and Leslie had had some fairly long talks as well, learning more about each other and falling more in love with every passing day. Now, they sat beside the small aquamarine pond at the base of a waterfall, each with an arm around the other, bare feet skimming the water's surface. Fireflies winked all around them; twilight was deepening, and the young couple had been quiet for some time, both considering their decision.

"You're very sure this is what you want to do?" the question finally came out in a worried murmur.

A nod. "I'm sure. I want to be with you, no matter if it's here or in Finland."

"Then we're going to have to tell our parents, you know. There's no reason for us to wait any longer. If we're not certain now, then we never will be, don't you agree?"

"It's going to be so hard…" A tear dropped soundlessly into the pool, and a finger reached up to dry the eye from which it had fallen.

"No, no, don't cry. It's going to be all right, I promise you that." They kissed gently, then drew back and peered at each other in the fading light. "Are you ready?"

"I guess it's now or never. Come on, let's get it over with."

They went to the cottage first, where Tellervo had been moved after her discharge from the hospital that afternoon. When they told her their intentions, she stared at them with the most animation anyone had seen on her since Teppo had had to tell her of Jaakko's passing. "But, Teppo…we have to leave tomorrow," she finally said.

"This is how it's going to be, Mother," he said. "We're both adults, and we're in love."

"But you still hardly know each other," she protested. "And what will Mr. Roarke say?"


	11. Chapter 11

§ § § -- June 23, 1985

"What do _you_ think Mr. Roarke will say?" Teppo asked Leslie on their way to the main house.

She shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "I can't even begin to guess. The only way to find out is to tell him. Your mother didn't take it very well."

"Mother's different since Father died," Teppo said with concern. "I'm beginning to worry about her. Someone's going to have to look after her."

Leslie nodded pensively, and they fell silent till they had entered the foyer. Roarke was going through stacks of letters, but looked up as soon as they stepped down into his office. "Hello, you two," he said. "Have you eaten?"

"We couldn't," Leslie said, feeling a lump rise in her throat. "We had some other things that needed attention, and we just didn't think about food."

Roarke saw their expressions and set the letters aside. "Tell me," he said simply.

Leslie replied in the same spirit, although her stomach felt as if it had been filled with Air Force bomber jets. "Teppo asked me to marry him," she said, "and I told him yes. We're hoping we can have the wedding here on the island, but…after that…" Her voice faltered and gave out, and she hung her head.

"Leslie, are you sure?" Teppo persisted. "Do you want me to tell him?"

But Roarke stunned them both. "After your wedding, you'll be leaving Fantasy Island."

Their expressions were comically identical. "How did you know?" Teppo finally blurted.

The sad smile returned, and Leslie suddenly understood. "You knew this was going to happen," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "Now I understand what you and Lempo were talking about that day." Roarke nodded slowly.

"I don't," Teppo pointed out. "Maybe someone would like to fill me in."

Leslie turned to him. "I came down while Mr. Roarke was confronting Lempo. Mr. Roarke said Lempo knew the reason he couldn't destroy you, and Lempo wanted to know if Mr. Roarke was so willing to give up the most precious thing he had. Mr. Roarke said he'd do whatever it took to save a life, and Lempo accepted that. It turned out that Lempo's question was about me, because you and I are going to live in Finland. I won't be here, and Mr. Roarke's losing me to you."

Teppo stared at her for a long moment, then at Roarke, who nodded again, in confirmation. "I asked Leslie if she wanted to stay on the island," Teppo explained. "I remember the first day we came here, she mentioned to me that she wanted to stay forever, even after she came of age. I'd miss Finland, but I could easily live here. I wouldn't have to take her away from you."

Roarke studied him. "Teppo, your mother needs to be taken care of," he said. "I realize you have siblings who could do so, but I can see that as the oldest, you feel a certain responsibility to her."

Teppo nodded. "That's right. Not only that, but I'm the reason they came here in the first place, and Lempo or not, I was still the instrument of my father's…of what happened to him. It _is_ my responsibility to see that Mother is cared for and that she'll be all right. I feel this obligation very strongly, and I don't believe it would be right for me to foist it off on my brothers and sisters."

"Yes, I understand," Roarke said. He looked at Leslie. "You have known each other merely two weeks, you know. Are you completely certain this is your decision?"

Leslie said, "Most people who fall in love here do it over the course of a weekend. That's only two days. I wanted to be sure about it."

"My cautious daughter," Roarke said, gently teasing. She smiled wanly back, and he cleared his throat then and addressed them both. "Of course, you may have the wedding here on the island. Julie and I will be happy to help you; and if there are any Finnish wedding customs you or your mother would like to employ, Teppo, by all means, let us know what they are and we'll gladly accommodate you. I ask only that you let me know as soon as you've decided what you want to do and where you would like to hold the wedding."

As it turned out, there was only one thing to be added to the wedding, and it was a very odd request from Teppo's mother. "It's a family ritual," she explained to Teppo, Leslie and Roarke on Monday morning in the main house. "At the wedding, during the vows, the bride and groom shed tears which are collected in a small vial. The bride keeps this vial throughout the marriage."

"A family ritual?" Teppo echoed, staring at her. "Mother, you never mentioned that before, and I've never seen it at any family weddings."

Tellervo got a stubborn mien about her. "It was an old ritual that goes back in my family for generations," she said firmly. "In the last century or so, it began to fall out of favor; but I want to bring it back." She went to her son and framed his face in her hands. "Please, Teppo, this is all I ask of you. Do it for me, I beg you."

Leslie, startled and slightly alarmed, looked at Roarke, who had been watching in silence with only a raised eyebrow betraying his reaction to the request. Roarke caught her gaze and smiled slightly, but still said nothing. She bit her lip and turned back to Teppo when he touched her shoulder to get her attention.

"Leslie, _kulta_, what do you think?" he asked. "It's going to be your wedding too, and for this to be included, we should both agree to it. But if you don't want it, then…"

Leslie canted her head to one side and regarded Tellervo, who watched pleadingly, then Teppo, who gave her a reassuring smile. Finally she shrugged. "It's a small thing," she said. "If it makes you happy, Mrs. Komainen, then we'll do it. Although," she added with a teasing grin, "I don't know if I'm going to be able to cry on cue."

They all laughed, and Teppo admitted, "I'm not sure I can either. I suspect it'll be easier for you than for me, though. After all, don't all women cry at weddings?" She gave him a playful swat on the arm, and they laughed again. "Okay, all right. Why don't we get on with the plans."

And so it was that on Wednesday, June 26, 1985, half the island turned out for the wedding of Teppo Komainen and Leslie Hamilton. Even Tattoo had flown back, admittedly on extremely short notice, for the wedding, bringing Solange and their young son, Patrick. Thus, it was Tattoo who walked Leslie down the aisle, where Roarke waited to perform the marriage ceremony, with Teppo and Tellervo Komainen standing nearby. The latter held a five-ounce perfume bottle that would serve as the container for the tears.

Leslie's friends and their families were all there; so were all of Teppo's brothers and sisters, as well as his cousin Tarja and her boyfriend, the _Kalevala_ scholar Launo Haavisto. Quite a few of Roarke's many employees had been given either a full or partial holiday to attend the wedding; those who were involved in the preparation and execution of the event were being paid time-and-a-half as a token of appreciation.

Roarke spoke the ceremonial words quietly, yet there was such a hush that everything he said was heard clearly. When it came time for Teppo and Leslie to repeat their vows, Roarke's prompting voice trembled ever so slightly, and Tattoo actually brushed away a tear. It was enough to get the waterworks flowing with Leslie, whose voice was thick with emotion as she repeated the vows. Tellervo caught her tears in the vial, causing a confused stirring in the crowd. Leslie bore this in silence, waiting till Tellervo had stepped back before quickly brushing at her tears.

Roarke turned then to Teppo and continued with the ceremony: "…for better or worse, in sickness and in health, so long as you both shall live…till death do you part?" He hesitated before adding the final phrase; there had been a peculiar stillness in the air. No one else seemed to have noticed; Teppo said "I do" in a strong, clear, sure voice, and Roarke put the odd moment in the back of his mind to mull over later. Meantime, Tellervo stepped forward again and collected some unexpected tears from her son, who looked a little surprised at having shed them. Again the crowd stirred and murmured quizzically. Tattoo eyed Roarke questioningly, his face a mask of puzzlement, and Roarke leaned down far enough to whisper to him, "Later, my friend."

With inordinate reverence, Tellervo involved herself in capping the vial tightly, while all other eyes fixed on the bride and groom when Roarke said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife." The newlyweds kissed, and a giant cheer burst out of the crowd and carried across the huge yard of the MacNabb house, where the wedding was being held.

Sometime later, at the reception, Tattoo finally got a chance to ask Roarke about the groom's mother's peculiar performance. At that point there was a slow dance going on, with Teppo and Leslie right in the middle of the dance floor; so Roarke was able to explain to his former assistant and longtime friend what Tellervo had been doing. "But why would she want to do that?" Tattoo asked, spotting Teppo's mother at the other end of their long table, talking earnestly with a couple of Teppo's siblings. "There must be some reason for it, and it looked like she was planning to keep those tears for a long time."

"The vial isn't for her, my friend," Roarke said. "As she explained it to us a few days ago, it will be Leslie who keeps it through the duration of her marriage."

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain what it's for in the first place," Tattoo persisted.

Solange, who sat nearby, had overheard most of this, and finally put a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Tattoo, _mon chér,_ maybe you'd better give up this line of questioning. I'm sure Leslie's mother-in-law has her reasons, whatever they are."

Roarke smiled at her. "That's all right, Solange, because I myself am quite mystified as to Mrs. Komainen's motives. Teppo has expressed the concern that she has changed since her husband's death, and he was as surprised as anyone else when she requested that the ritual be performed. I have my suspicions about its alleged venerability, but I have no way of finding out the truth."

The dance ended then and the music came to a halt, sending the dancers back to their seats. Then the best man – the older of Teppo's two younger brothers – stood up and raised his glass. "To my brother and his new wife," he said, saluting Teppo and Leslie with the glass. "May they have a long and happy life together, free of all demons."

Roarke frowned heavily, visited abruptly by a strong thread of foreboding. The air grew still again, as if time had paused for an instant, before a cheer arose and glasses were lifted all over the room. Tattoo caught sight of the expression on Roarke's face, frowned in curiosity, but said nothing; and the party continued.

‡ ‡ ‡ -- June 27, 1985

The charter plane banked and soared higher into the sunny summer sky as Roarke and Tattoo watched, both shading their eyes with their hands. Not till even its drone had faded completely away did Tattoo turn to his former boss to say something, only to find him wearing that same expression of what he felt could only be called dread.

"Boss, what's the matter?" Tattoo asked.

Roarke turned to him, eyes curious. "What makes you say such a thing, my friend?"

"That look on your face. Like you're worried about something. I noticed it at the wedding and the reception, too. It just made me wonder if you know something you didn't want to tell Teppo and Leslie about."

Roarke was very quiet as he and Tattoo started for the car that would take them back to the main house. "I had a strange feeling of foreboding," he finally admitted. "I don't know its meaning, but there is one thing I do believe."

"What's that?" Tattoo prompted after Roarke had let several seconds elapse in silence.

"That Leslie's happiness is a fragile thing," Roarke murmured slowly, half to himself and half to Tattoo. "As though she had not already suffered enough tragedy in her young life…no, it's too difficult to see. I can sense only shadows."

"Do you think Leslie will be all right, boss?" Tattoo asked, reluctant to voice the question for fear of the reply. But Roarke merely shook his head with a fog of confusion in his dark eyes.

"Time will tell, my friend," he said distantly. "Time will tell."

TO BE CONTINUED…

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_The references to Cindy in Chapter 4, Pepper the parrot, and Leslie's memory of Tattoo's kidnapping in Chapter 6 are taken from a "Sunday Special" episode (one of two such), story arc "Cornelius and Alphonse," original airdate May 6, 1979, with guest stars Red Buttons and Billy Barty, and Kimberly Beck as Cindy._


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